FDA made changes to label requirements a while back, so by now all food and dietary supplement labels should have the changes incorporated (more information at FDA.gov).
To determine which Daily Values your label will use when you first access the application, you’ll see a button at top left [Use Old DV/RDIs] that allows you to choose the old RDIs and DVs. Most times, you will want to use the new values, which are the default.
If you want to continue with new, updated Daily Values, you don’t need to do anything. The page background will stay green to indicate new DVs. If you want to change to using the old DVs in the calculations, because you intend to convert them later, go ahead and click on the button. A blue background will appear, and the old DVs will display.
Use Product Name, Brand, SKU, and UPC fields to identify your label. These fields do not affect the layout of the Supplement Facts box. Enter Serving Size, and number of Servings per Container if this is required1. There are separate tabs for each type of ingredient listing. The top of each tab has the same information. Press [REFRESH] to see the results.
Next, start selecting ingredients and adding amounts per serving. Each ingredient or component defaults to the amount required for 100% of DV, but they are not selected. If you want to remove all the default amounts, press [Clear Amounts] this will also clear any data you entered and cannot be undone. Check the box for each item you need, e.g. calories, fats etc. add the amount per serving and [REFRESH] to see the calculated % Daily Values. The application will add the necessary notes at the bottom of the Supplement Facts, for example if no Daily Value is established for one or more ingredients.
Move on to [Vitamins – Minerals] tab to enter vitamins and mineral with DVs or RDIs. Refresh the label to incorporate layout changes.
Continue until you have added all the ingredients. You can optionally add the source of an ingredient, for example Vitamin C (as ascorbic acid) or this information can be added to the ingredients list later.
The units for DV or RDI ingredients are fixed by regulation, and cannot be changed.
In dietary supplements, amounts that are below the “significant amount” do not need to be reported on the label. Significant amounts vary by component. You may see a message alerting you if you enter an amount below the threshold, or if a value has been rounded according to the regulations. This is different from Nutrition Facts (food) labels where certain mandatory nutrients must be declared, even if zero, and is a frequent source of confusion.
- Information on Servings per Container need not be provided when it is stated in the net quantity of contents declaration, e.g. when serving size is 1 capsule and the number of servings is the same as Net Contents.