Create a nutrition label

You have your recipe. Now you need an FDA-compliant Nutrition Facts label for your packaging. BetterMenu takes you from a list of ingredients to a finished, regulation-ready label panel — using USDA nutritional data and applying the FDA's rounding rules automatically.

What do I need before I start?

You need your recipe's ingredient list with quantities and a target serving size. You do not need to look up nutritional data manually — BetterMenu retrieves it from the USDA FoodData Central database for each ingredient you add. USDA FoodData Central is the official US government nutrition database, covering more than 400,000 foods with verified composition data. BetterMenu uses this source directly, so every nutrient value on your label traces back to a government-verified record rather than an estimate. If you are unsure what serving size applies to your product category — for example, whether a granola bar uses a 40-gram or 55-gram reference amount — see Serving Size for guidance on FDA reference amounts by category. Having that decided before you start means fewer revisions after your label is generated. A clear ingredient list and a confirmed serving size are the two inputs BetterMenu needs to produce a compliant label.

How does the workflow fit together?

The five steps move in one direction: from ingredients to a finished label panel. BetterMenu handles the calculations at each stage — you focus on confirming the right data, not on the math.

Once you confirm each ingredient's USDA match, the nutrition data is locked in. Setting the serving size then scales every nutrient value to that portion. BetterMenu applies FDA rounding rules at that point — so the values you see are exactly what belongs on the label, not raw calculated figures that you still need to round manually. R&D teams and regulatory affairs staff find this especially useful when iterating on a formula: changing one ingredient immediately updates the full nutrition facts panel, so you always see the label impact before you finalize the recipe. For a food manufacturer finalizing packaging artwork, this means no spreadsheet handoffs and no manual recalculation — the label reflects the confirmed recipe at every stage.

How do I add my recipe?

Create a new recipe in BetterMenu and give it a name that matches your product. At this stage you are just setting up the record — you add ingredients in the next step. If you are building several products, you can create multiple recipes and work on them independently without one affecting the other.

Each recipe is scoped to your organization and is only visible to team members you invite. Recipes are not shared publicly. For a food manufacturer working on several SKUs simultaneously — a granola bar, a trail mix, and a nut butter — each product gets its own recipe record, its own ingredient list, and its own label. Nothing from one recipe carries into another unless you deliberately copy it. This makes it straightforward to manage a portfolio of products in one place without risk of cross-contamination between formulas.

How do I add ingredients?

Type each ingredient line the way you would write it in a recipe — for example, "2 tbsp olive oil" or "1 cup rolled oats". BetterMenu parses the quantity, unit, and ingredient name automatically, then searches the USDA database for the best match.

1. Type each ingredient with its quantity and unit.
2. Review the USDA matches BetterMenu surfaces for each line.
3. Confirm the match that best fits your product.
4. Repeat for every ingredient in your formula.

For each ingredient, BetterMenu presents the top matches from the USDA FoodData Central database. Review the matches and confirm the one that fits your product. BetterMenu then uses that ingredient's verified nutritional data for all calculations. If a match does not look right — for example, if BetterMenu suggests a flavored version when you use plain — you can search more specifically and select a different entry. See Ingredient for more on how ingredient matching works.

How do I set the serving size?

After adding ingredients, set a serving size for your recipe. You can enter a serving size directly in grams, or let BetterMenu suggest a size based on your product category using FDA reference amounts. These reference amounts — set by the FDA for different food categories — help ensure your label meets regulatory requirements.

Once you set a serving size, BetterMenu calculates per-serving nutrition facts automatically, applying the FDA's required rounding rules. Rounding is not optional under FDA labeling regulations: calorie counts, fat grams, sodium milligrams, and other declared nutrients each follow specific rounding intervals defined in 21 CFR § 101.9. BetterMenu applies these rules so the values on your label are compliant by default. You do not need to round figures manually or verify them against a rounding table. See Calculate your serving size for a step-by-step walkthrough of selecting the right reference amount.

How do I generate and export the label?

With ingredients confirmed and a serving size set, BetterMenu generates a Nutrition Facts label panel that meets FDA requirements. The label is available to preview in the recipe detail view. Review the panel to confirm all declared nutrients appear correctly and the serving information matches your packaging intent.

To export the label as a file for your packaging designer or co-manufacturer, see Export your label. The export reflects the current confirmed ingredient set and serving size — so if your R&D team makes a late formula change, regenerating the label picks up the update automatically. For food manufacturers who need to demonstrate that a label was generated from a specific version of a recipe, BetterMenu also maintains a full record of every recipe state. See Track changes to your recipe to learn how that history works.