Nutrition Label Formats: Vertical, Dual Column and Linear

The vertical label is the stacked panel most packaged food carries: serving size, calories, then each nutrient on its own line with its % Daily Value down the right side. The FDA's labeling rule, 21 CFR 101.9, treats it as the default. Use it when the package has room for it and neither of the other two formats applies. A large bag of granola with eight servings takes a vertical label.

Some packages hold more than one serving but could be eaten in one sitting. The FDA requires a dual column label when a package holds at least 200% and up to 300% of the reference amount for its food category (the RACC). One column gives the nutrition for a serving and the other for the whole package. A 3 oz bag of chips, where the reference amount is about 1 oz, is a common example. The rule has exceptions, so check it for your product.

The linear label prints the same facts as a run of text instead of a table: serving size, calories, then each nutrient and its % Daily Value in a sentence. The FDA allows it only on packages with 40 square inches or less available for labeling, and only when a tabular label will not fit. A small tin of mints or a single wrapped caramel is the kind of package it exists for.