FDA labeling standards for selling food products in the United States

FDA food labeling in the U.S.: Nutrition labeling plays a key role in the U.S. consumer's purchasing decisions

Sales in the U.S. Food sector are dependent on bringing food products up to standard by revising labels and nutritional values. However, the label of what we sell on the shelves of U.S. supermarkets is also becoming a decisive element in the choice process, that is, it determines whether or not the consumer will buy that food product. Suddenly, food labels have evolved from a marketing tool to a source of information and education on nutrition.

What American consumers want to know about the food they buy

Statistics on the wants and needs of American consumers when it comes to buying food products in the U.S.

Food labels provide crucial information and instructions to U.S. consumers, who have long since begun to value how the product is made over how much it costs or how tempting it is. Below is some data on the wants and needs of American consumers when it comes to buying food products in the U.S. [Source: Menu Matters].

• For 85% of shoppers in the United States, the decision to buy a product is influenced by reading the "information panel", the part of the label that indicates the food's ingredients and nutritional values.
• For 71% of consumers, nutritional information on the label must be easy to find.
• One in two American consumers want to know where the food was produced and the origin of the ingredients.
• 60% of consumers want information that ensures the freshness of the food product.
• Nearly one-third of U.S. consumers (32%) distrust small, unreadable fonts.

This data confirms the importance of creating clear and transparent FDA labels to successfully sell food products in America. More importantly, they highlight that the post-Covid American consumer is a food-conscious, informed, and discerning consumer, a factor that will shape U.S. food trends for a long time to come.

In a market as large as the U.S., attracting all consumers is impossible. What matters is getting started selling in the U.S. on the right track

Labeling is essential to begin marketing food products in the United States. Of course, compliance is insufficient if the intention is to sell large volumes of goods, and consequently it would be naïve to believe that marketing has ceased to be important.

Let's say that in the U.S. food sector, marketing is important but partial. In fact, only investing in food communication risks giving a negative perception of the brand, whereas investing in marketing and making nutritional labels that are truthful and understandable to the U.S. consumer really does make a difference: at the end of the day, it is about showing that we know our customer and that we are making an effort to give them the food and information they need.