Guide
Net quantity of contents on FDA food labels
FDA wants the amount of food in the package on the principal display panel, usually in US customary units, in the lower 30 percent of that panel. It is the weight or volume of the food, not the weight of the jar, and not a serving count pretending to be a net weight.
Reviewed against official guidance.SourcesNot legal advice.
The short answer
FDA wants the amount of food in the package on the principal display panel, usually in US customary units, in the lower 30 percent of that panel. It is the weight or volume of the food, not the weight of the jar, and not a serving count pretending to be a net weight.
Where this shows up in a real kitchen
Makers who ship in glass over-declare because they weighed the filled jar. Others print “about 12 cookies” with no ounces. Both fail shoppers who compare value and inspectors who check 101.105. Drained-weight products (olives, pickles) have their own quantity story.
The US rule
21 CFR 101.105 sets net quantity: location, prominence, dual declaration of ounces and grams for many solids, fluid ounces for liquids. The statement is generally parallel to the base of the pack. FDA’s Food Labeling Guide works examples for cans, bottles and boxes.
How to apply it
Weigh empty pack, weigh filled pack, subtract. Print the food weight. For liquids, use fluid ounces. Keep the statement on the front bottom band, not only in a Shopify spec table. Recheck after a supplier changes jar size — the food weight may stay the same while the glass changes.
- Decide whether the food is solid, liquid or drained.
- Measure net contents without the container.
- Place the statement in the lower 30 percent of the PDP in allowed units.
- Verify a filled production sample, not only the design file.
Worked example
A 9 oz tin of shortbread: the PDP bottom reads “9 oz (255 g)”. Eight pieces inside is extra consumer information, not a replacement. If a holiday tin is heavier metal, you still declare 9 oz of cookies, not 14 oz of tin plus cookies.
Checks that belong on this pack
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Quantity is on the front | Amazon bullets are not the PDP. |
| Units match the food (oz vs fl oz) | Salsa is usually fluid; granola is weight. |
| Metric is additional, not a replacement, where US customary is required | Grams help; ounces still belong. |
| Piece count is optional extra | “12 bars” without a net weight is not the statement. |
Declaring the shipping weight
Ice packs, jars and mailers are not food. Net quantity is the food.
What LabelClear can and cannot print
UK PPDS packs often skip net quantity. US retail packs generally cannot. Add it on the front even if you drafted ingredients in LabelClear.
Questions
Do I include brine?
Can I say “minimum 8 oz”?
What about variety packs?
Official sources
Everything on this page traces back to these. Where they and we disagree, they are right — tell us and we'll fix it.
- Food Labeling GuideU.S. Food and Drug Administration
- 21 CFR Part 101 — Food labelingeCFR / National Archives
- Nutrition labeling requirementsU.S. Food and Drug Administration
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