The numbers on a Nutrition Facts label are rounded by FDA's rules, not by taste. Calories go to the nearest 5 up to 50 and the nearest 10 above, and under 5 can be zero. Total, saturated and trans fat go to the nearest half gram below 5 grams and the nearest gram above, and under half a gram is zero. Sodium is zero under 5 mg, the nearest 5 mg up to 140, and the nearest 10 mg above. Cholesterol goes to the nearest 5 mg. Carbohydrate, fiber, sugars and protein go to the nearest gram, with "less than 1 gram" allowed under 1 and zero under half a gram. The % Daily Value is to the nearest whole percent. In the example below, a Utah granola maker rounds its first lab results.
The short version
- Calories: nearest 5 up to 50, nearest 10 above; under 5 can be 0.
- Fats: nearest 0.5 g below 5 g, nearest gram above; under 0.5 g is 0.
- Sodium: under 5 mg is 0; nearest 5 mg up to 140; nearest 10 mg above.
- Cholesterol: nearest 5 mg; under 2 mg is 0; 2 to 5 mg is "less than 5 mg".
- Carbs, fiber, sugars, protein: nearest gram; under 1 g "less than 1 g"; under 0.5 g is 0.
- % Daily Value: nearest whole percent.
- TaroStack keeps each recipe by weight, so the batch behind a lab result is on record. More below.
The rules
| Nutrient | Rounding | Zero when |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | Nearest 5 up to and including 50; nearest 10 above | Under 5 |
| Total, saturated and trans fat | Nearest 0.5 g below 5 g; nearest gram above | Under 0.5 g |
| Cholesterol | Nearest 5 mg; 2 to 5 mg may be "less than 5 mg" | Under 2 mg |
| Sodium | Nearest 5 mg from 5 to 140 mg; nearest 10 mg above | Under 5 mg |
| Carbohydrate, fiber, sugars, protein | Nearest gram; under 1 g may be "less than 1 gram" | Under 0.5 g |
| % Daily Value | Nearest whole percent |
Laying out the whole panel is in how to make a nutrition label, and when a small business can skip it in nutrition label small business exemption.
The rules
| Rule | Where |
|---|---|
| Calories | Nearest 5-calorie increment up to and including 50, 10-calorie above; under 5 may be zero (21 CFR 101.9(c)(1)) |
| Fats | Nearest 0.5 g below 5 g and the nearest gram above; under 0.5 g as zero (101.9(c)(2)) |
| Cholesterol and sodium | Cholesterol to the nearest 5 mg, under 2 mg as zero; sodium zero under 5 mg, nearest 5 mg from 5 to 140, nearest 10 mg above (101.9(c)(3), (4)) |
| Carbohydrate, fiber, sugars, protein | Nearest gram; less than 1 g may be stated as less than 1 gram; under 0.5 g as zero (101.9(c)(6), (7)) |
| % Daily Value | Nearest whole percent, from the declared or unrounded amount (101.9(d)(7)(ii)) |
| Small businesses | The exemption from nutrition labeling is lost when a claim is made (101.9(j)(1)) |
This is general information, not legal advice.
An example: a protein granola's lab results
Cache Valley Granola Co., the made-up granola maker in Logan, Utah, I use in these examples, is small enough to skip nutrition labels, but its new protein granola makes a protein claim, which takes the exemption away. The lab's results for a 60-gram serving, and the label:
| Nutrient | Lab result | On the label |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 263 | 260 |
| Total fat | 11.3 g | 11 g |
| Saturated fat | 2.2 g | 2 g |
| Trans fat | 0.1 g | 0 g |
| Cholesterol | 1.4 mg | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 137 mg | 135 mg |
| Total carbohydrate | 31.6 g | 32 g |
| Dietary fiber | 4.4 g | 4 g |
| Total sugars | 9.6 g | 10 g |
| Protein | 12.4 g | 12 g |
Calories above 50 round to the nearest 10, so 263 is 260; sodium at 137 mg is under 140, so it rounds to the nearest 5, 135. Saturated fat below 5 grams rounds to the half gram, and 2.2 is closer to 2 than to 2.5. The protein claim itself, and which words it can use, is in structure function claims.
Get the checker
Download the rounding checker. One sheet: each product's lab or recipe values per serving for calories, fat, sodium, sugars and protein; the rounded label values fill in by FDA's rules. It's an ordinary Excel file with no macros, and it works in Google Sheets, LibreOffice and Numbers.
Where this stops working
The checker rounds what the lab measured. A batch made with more honey or fewer nuts than the recipe changes the numbers, and the label printed last spring doesn't move with it.
How TaroStack does it
TaroStack keeps each granola as a recipe by weight, so the ingredients behind its label are on record for every batch.
Recipes by weight. Each granola is a recipe by weight: oats, protein crisps, almonds, honey.
Batches from the recipe. Each batch records the recipe it followed and the ingredient lots it used.
Recalls. If a batch went out with the wrong label, one report shows every customer who got it.
| The job | Notebook | In TaroStack |
|---|---|---|
| Which recipe a batch followed | Remembered | Each batch from its recipe |
| A recipe change that alters the label | Noticed late | The recipe on record |
| Who got a mislabeled batch | Invoices | One recall report |
Recipes, batches and recalls are on every plan, from $49 a month. The first 30 days are free, with no credit card. If you'd like a hand setting up, ask, and we'll do it with you.