Some food names come with a recipe written into federal rules. FDA's standards of identity, in 21 CFR parts 130 to 169, say what a food has to be to carry its name: peanut butter is ground roasted peanuts with no more than 10% seasonings and stabilizers, jam is at least 45 parts fruit to 55 parts sugar and 65% soluble solids, mayonnaise is at least 65% oil, ice cream has at least 10% milkfat and weighs at least 4.5 pounds a gallon, and maple syrup is at least 66% soluble solids. A food sold under one of those names that doesn't meet the standard is misbranded, whatever its label says otherwise. The fix is a different name: a peanut butter with too much honey becomes a peanut spread, a low-sugar jam a fruit spread, a mayonnaise short on oil a dressing, and an ice cream short on milkfat a frozen dessert. One exception: a food that misses the standard only in a way a defined nutrient claim describes, such as reduced fat, can keep the name with the claim. And foods without a standard, like almond butter, use their common name. In the example below, an Arkansas nut butter maker checks which jars can be called peanut butter.
The short version
- A standard of identity sets what a food must be to use its name.
- Peanut butter: seasonings and stabilizers 10% or less, fat 55% or less, stabilizing oils hydrogenated.
- Jam: 45 parts fruit to 55 sugar, 65% soluble solids. Mayonnaise: 65% oil.
- Ice cream: 10% milkfat, 4.5 lb a gallon. Maple syrup: 66% soluble solids.
- Miss the standard, change the name: peanut spread, fruit spread, dressing, frozen dessert.
- A defined claim like "reduced fat" can keep the name; unstandardized foods use their common name.
- TaroStack keeps each recipe by weight, so the share of honey in a batch is on record. More below.
Some standards small makers meet
| Food | The numbers | If it misses |
|---|---|---|
| Peanut butter | Seasonings and stabilizers 10% or less; fat 55% or less; stabilizing oils hydrogenated | Peanut spread |
| Jam | 45 parts fruit to 55 sugar (47 for Group I fruits); soluble solids 65% | Fruit spread |
| Mayonnaise | Vegetable oil 65% by weight | Dressing |
| Ice cream | Milkfat 10%; total solids 1.6 lb and weight 4.5 lb a gallon | Frozen dessert |
| Maple syrup | Soluble solids 66% | Boil it further |
Ketchup, cheese and chocolate have their own standards, in ketchup business plan, cheese labeling requirements and chocolate labeling requirements.
The rules
| Rule | Where |
|---|---|
| The name and the standard | A food represented as a standardized food must conform and bear the standard's name (21 U.S.C. 343(g)) |
| Peanut butter | Seasonings and stabilizers 10% or less; fat 55% or less; no artificial flavors or sweeteners, preservatives or colors; stabilizing oils hydrogenated (21 CFR 164.150) |
| Jam, mayonnaise, ice cream, maple syrup | 21 CFR 150.160, 169.140, 135.110, 168.140 |
| Nutrient claims | A deviation described by a defined nutrient claim keeps the name with the claim (21 CFR 130.10) |
This is general information, not legal advice.
An example: six jars
Red Oak Nut Butters, the made-up nut butter maker in Little Rock, Arkansas, I use in these examples, was changing its honey roasted recipe and checked every jar against the peanut butter standard:
| Jar | Seasonings and stabilizers | Fat | Other conditions | Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peanuts only | 0% | 50% | Met | Peanut butter |
| Peanuts and salt | 1% | 50% | Met | Peanut butter |
| Honey roasted, first recipe | 11%: 10% honey, 1% salt | 48% | Met | Peanut spread |
| Honey roasted, new recipe | 9.5%: 8.5% honey, 1% salt | 48% | Met | Peanut butter |
| No-stir, with palm oil | 4% | 51% | Palm oil isn't hydrogenated | Peanut spread |
| Chocolate peanut | 18.5% | 44% | Met | Chocolate peanut spread |
The honey roasted had been labeled peanut butter at 11%, a point over the line, so the new recipe cut the honey to 8.5% to keep the name. The no-stir jar is well under 10%, but its palm oil isn't a hydrogenated oil, so it's sold as a peanut spread. The almond butter needs no checking: there's no standard for it. Which jars can say "healthy" is in healthy claim FDA.
Get the checker
Download the standard of identity checker. Two sheets. Check: each product, the standard it would be named for, its measures and whether its other conditions are met; whether it meets the standard and what to call it if not fill in. Measures: what to measure for peanut butter, jam, mayonnaise, ice cream and maple syrup, the numbers and the regulation. It's an ordinary Excel file with no macros, and it works in Google Sheets, LibreOffice and Numbers.
Where this stops working
The name is right for the recipe on file. A heavy-handed batch of honey roasted, 10.5% instead of 9.5%, is a peanut spread in a peanut butter jar, and only the batch record shows how much honey went in.
How TaroStack does it
TaroStack keeps each recipe by weight, so the share of honey in a batch is on record.
Recipes by weight. Each jar is its own recipe, with its peanuts, honey, salt and oil by weight.
Batches by lot. Each batch records which ingredient lots it used and how many jars it made.
Recalls. If a batch went out under the wrong name, one report shows every customer who got it.
| The job | Notebook | In TaroStack |
|---|---|---|
| Which recipe a batch followed | Remembered | Each batch from its recipe |
| Honey used in a batch | Not recorded | From the recipe and batch |
| 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.