Category Archive: Label Industry News

The New Prop 65 Warning Label Size Requirements

Prop 65 Warning Label Requirements for California

What is a Prop 65 warning label, and what’s the deal with the new Prop 65 warning label size requirements? In short, it’s the state of California protecting its residents from drinking water that may contain hazardous chemicals.

The State, through the authority of the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), publishes a list of chemicals associated with the cause of cancer, birth defects, and related reproductive trauma. This list is updated at least once every year. The current version of the list that was originally published in 1986 contains over 900 chemicals.

Proposition 65, otherwise known as the Safe Drinking and Toxic Enforcement Act, mandates that businesses with 10 or more employees must provide a “clear and responsible” warning label for all products that Californians purchase, in their homes or workplaces, or that are released into the environment. This also prohibits businesses in California from disposing of these listed chemicals into local water sources.

Businesses must also cease the utilization of listed chemicals in those same sources of drinking water. That mandate is enforced 20 months after each listing.

The following examines the various requirements for these labels and how affected businesses can remain compliant.

Prop 65- The 2018 Amendment

Prop 65 was officially written into law in November 1986, when voters in California approved it by a 63-37% margin. The current revised version of Prop 65 has gone into effect as of August 2018.

The newly amended Prop 65 mandates specific warning methods and content for several types of products.  This includes food items, diet supplements, alcohol, and furniture. It also provides for specific types of exposures, such as eateries, dentist offices, wood dust, diesel engines, interior parking structures, amusement parks, gas stations, and hotels.

There are exemptions:

  • Government organizations,
  • public water utilities, and
  • businesses with fewer than 10 employees do not fall under the mandate of Prop 65 warning labels for 2018.

Exposures that pose a zero cancer risk, that contain listed chemicals that naturally occur in edible items, and cause no reproductive effect, as well as discharges that do not provide a “significant amount” of a listed chemical, are also exempt.

Prop 65 Warning Label Size Requirements

New requirements include a warning label to be on any consumer product.  Prop 65 warning label size requirements are as follows:

  • Letters and characters have to be rendered in a minimum 6-point type. It cannot be any smaller than the largest font size utilized in other consumer products.
  • The warning must feature an exclamation point in black outlined by a yellow triangle, and the word “WARNING” must also be featured and printed boldly in capital letters.
  • The warning has to feature the full name of a listed chemical a minimum of one time.
Prop 65 Warning Label Size Requirements

A new standard for Proposition 65 warning labels

If the warning is included on a product, a short-form warning is allowed and does not need to feature the name of the listed chemical, however, the other requirements must be met.

Prop 65 Warning Label Size Requirements

Short-form Proposition 65 warning label

Any qualifying consumer product made available over the internet has to feature a warning on the associated website that informs the buyer before the purchase. These products should also feature a short-form warning on the product or a long-form warning on the label that adheres to the requirements.

If any of these product labels or packaging provides consumer information in a non-English language, the Prop 65-compliant warning has to be provided in that language, as well as in English.

Stay Compliant

Though the number of regulations laid out in this proposition, new and old, may seem daunting.  Your business can easily satisfy the warning label mandates of Prop 65 with the right printing partner.

Star Label Products provides affordable and compliant solutions to all of your Prop 65 warning label needs.

Contact us to learn more about Prop 65 warning label size requirements or to request a quote on label printing!

Highlights from the 2014 Summer Fancy Food Show

From June 29th to July1st, professionals working in all facets of the food industry came together for the 2014 Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City. Hundreds of thousands of food products were on display, with thousands of exhibitors from 80 different countries in attendance.

fancy-food-show-225x300The Show included a keynote address and awards ceremony, and new this year, featured a Specialty Food Association News & Solution Center. The Solution Center provided advice and mentoring to business owners who could use some direction in effectively running their businesses. The show also brought together new brands and gave them the opportunity to showcase their unique offerings.

There were also a number of educational sessions to appeal to any audience member. From growing your food product business, to better understanding food labeling trends and requirements, there were sessions to suit all attendees. We particularly appreciated the session, “Labeling and Marketing Claims: Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say.”

But back to the awards – with 32 sofi Award categories ranging from Baked Goods to bottled Vinegars, 34 products came away winners, thanks to two categories that came out in a tie. Of those who came out on top, we’re most looking forward to trying the Orange, Jasmine, and Nutmeg flavored Joia All Natural Soda, which was selected as the best cold beverage. We’re also very interested in trying Coop’s MicroCreamery: Handmade Hot Fudge, which won the Innovation in Packaging Design or Function award.

All in all, we had a great experience attending the Summer Fancy Food Show, and we look forward to seeing what the next installment has in store for us.

To learn more about how Star Label assists specialty food and beverage producers, please contact us online. We look forward to speaking with you.

What You Need to Know About the FDA’s Proposed Food Label Changes

A comparison of the current food label and proposed version, according to the FDA website.

As you may have heard, the FDA plans to update Nutrition Fact labels on packaged food products. The goal is to make it easier for consumers to make an educated decision about which products to buy based on common health considerations.

In addition to promoting more clarity in regards to nutrients and the different types of fats present in food products, the newer labeling would make serving sizes less ambiguous. For example, when picking up a bottled beverage, you typically read the nutrition facts related to a “serving.” But there may be more than one serving in that bottle. So even if the drink is only 50 calories per serving, the entire bottle may add up to more than 100 calories overall. To combat this issue, the proposed changes would require food or beverages that are typically consumed in one sitting to be labeled as one serving; meaning that the bottled drink in our example above would have the total calorie count for the entire bottle featured on the label.

The proposal also calls for a label redesign that highlights areas of particular concern for health-conscious shoppers. The FDA has created an updated food label graphic that shows a much more prominent calorie count, number of servings per container, and bolded text for areas such as Total Fat, Cholesterol, Sodium, and other important nutritional information. The new labels will also distinguish “Added Sugars” from the more general term, “Sugars,” since many foods, such as fruit, contain natural sugars on their own.

The FDA is also asking for comment regarding the recommended daily value of sodium. Currently, labels feature a recommendation of 2,400 mg. The FDA is proposing to lower this number slightly, to 2,300 mg, however is asking for comment on a possible lower value of 1,500 mg. Many people are at risk of high blood pressure and other disorders exacerbated by high sodium consumption, which is driving the possibility of reducing the daily value number.

The FDA’s request for comment has been ongoing, with the closing date to submit comments extended to August 1, 2014. For more information about the proposed food labeling changes, please visit the FDA’s informational page online, which also includes helpful graphics.

At Star Label Products, we are happy to work with clients who would like to update their food and beverage labeling to comply with the proposed changes. To request more information, please contact us online.