This blog reviews 2019’s top Frequently Asked Questions about Genesis R&D Foods and Nutrition Facts labeling, collected from webinars, training sessions, and support inquiries. If you have additional questions about the programs or services we offer and how to best take advantage of them, please contact us at any time.
Topic: Nutrition Labeling
Q: How do I label Added Sugars and Total Sugars if the single-ingredient product I’m selling (maple syrup, for example) is considered by the FDA to be an added sugar?
A: The FDA’s final guidance on this matter, published in June 2019, clarified that for single-ingredient sugars (which includes single-ingredient syrups), the Added Sugars line, listed below the Total Sugars, will show only the %DV and not the “Added Sugars” text. Furthermore, there is a dagger symbol after the %DV referring consumers to an Added Sugars footnote, which says “One serving adds Xg of sugar to your diet and represents X% of the Daily Value for Added Sugars. Learn more about single-ingredient, added sugar labeling.
Q: Is maple candy or honey taffy made from only one ingredient labeled the same as other single-ingredient sugar products?
A: Yes. The FDA has confirmed when labeling a single-ingredient sugar candy (one that only contains one ingredient, and that ingredient is a sugar product), the single-ingredient sugar labeling option can be used. In this case, %DV is shown followed by an optional footnote, which states the gram amount of sugar one serving of this candy adds to the diet and its contribution to the %DV for added sugars.
Q: What rules is Genesis R&D using to determine rounding for quantitative amounts? I’m not seeing what I expected.
A: The FDA has issued final guidance on the rounding of quantitative amounts, which reflects the agency’s current thinking and suggested method of declaring quantitative amounts for vitamins and minerals on labels.
We are waiting for this guidance to published as a final rule before making changes to the program. Right now, Genesis R&D Foods uses current published CFR rounding rules as the default. But you have the option to apply rules from the latest guidance by going to Edit Label>Format Options>U.S. section>Use the 2018 Draft Guidance for Nutrient Rounding.
The FDA allows both.
Q: How do I enter French symbols like accents on letters like à, é when entering the serving size?
A: When working with text fields, like the label serving size field, in Genesis R&D you can either copy and paste special characters or you can type special characters like letters with accents or other formatting by using Alt+codes. For instance, é is entered by holding the Alt key on your keyboard while typing 0233.
Here is a list of useful codes for various characters.
Topic: Nutrient Data
Q: Why would I want to enter data per 100g instead of per nutrition label values when creating an Ingredient?
A: Entering nutrient values per 100g from a spec sheet can result in more accurate data, which will be helpful when you are working with Recipes. Most values on the Nutrition Facts label are rounded, and some values might have been rounded down to 0 due to minimal amounts occurring per serving (ex: spices, seasonings, sugar substitutes, and other additives).
Q: In Genesis R&D, what is the Dietary Fiber 2016 nutrient field used for?
A: The value entered in the Dietary Fiber 2016 nutrient field is used to populate the Dietary Fiber value on the U.S. 2016 label. To correctly report this value, you must first determine if the fiber in your food is beneficial based on the FDA’s 2016 definition for Dietary Fiber. Learn more about Dietary Fiber on the Nutrition Facts Label.
Topic: Yield adjustments
Q: What is the difference between using a moisture loss and a target moisture adjustment?
A: Applying a loss vs. a target depends on what information you have. If you can determine the difference between the weight of the precooked ingredients and the batch weight of the finished product, use loss. If you have the final moisture percent (from, for example, a lab test) work with the target option to account for the moisture adjustment.
Topic: Program Searching
Q: How can I find a list of Recipes that contain a particular Ingredient?
A: Use the “Within Item Search” in the Genesis R&D Food. This search lets you enter an Ingredient name and find all the Recipes, Advanced Labels, and Menu Labels that contain that Ingredient.
