Coffee labeling: what a bag of roasted coffee must say

Coffee labeling requirements in one table

Coffee labeling in the US follows FDA's general rules for packaged food. There is no separate federal coffee label. A bag of whole bean or ground coffee needs a name, a net weight and the business that stands behind it. Flavored coffee adds an ingredient list and allergen lines. Everything else, such as a roast date, an origin or an organic seal, is optional and must be true if you print it.

The table lists what a retail bag of roasted coffee needs, where each item goes, and when it applies.

Rules vary by state and city. Some states license food processors or home roasters and add their own label rules. This page is general information, not legal advice, and FDA does not approve individual food labels before the food is sold, so the business that sells the coffee is responsible for the label.

Statement of identity: naming the coffee

The statement of identity is the name of the food. FDA asks for the common or usual name of the food, and where there is none, an appropriate descriptive name, that is not misleading. For coffee, the common names are plain: whole bean coffee, ground coffee, decaffeinated coffee, instant coffee. A form word such as whole bean or ground helps the buyer and keeps the name accurate.

The name goes on the principal display panel, the front of the bag a shopper sees first. Brand names are not considered to be statements of identity. A bag that says only the roastery name and a blend name, such as a house blend called Morning Fog, still needs the word coffee in a plain statement such as ground coffee.

If the coffee carries a characterizing flavor, such as vanilla or hazelnut, the flavor becomes part of the name. That rule is covered in the flavored coffee section below.

Net weight in ounces and grams

Coffee is sold by weight, so the net quantity statement is stated in terms of weight. FDA wants it in both grams and ounces, placed in the bottom 30 percent of the principal display panel and printed parallel to the base of the package. FDA's own example format is Net wt 1 lb 8 oz (680g).

Net weight means the coffee only. It leaves out the bag, the valve and any label. Example: a roaster fills a bag with 12 ounces of whole beans; the front panel would read Net wt 12 oz (340 g). Weigh a sample of filled bags so the stated weight holds after roasting losses and settling.

The minimum type height for the net weight depends on the front panel. The area of the PDP determines that minimum, so a larger bag needs larger type. The Fair Packaging and Labeling Act page linked below covers net quantity rules in more detail.

Name and place of business

Every bag shows the name and address of the manufacturer, packer or distributor. The address includes city or town, state and ZIP code, and the street address if the firm is not listed in a current city directory or telephone book.

If someone else roasts or packs the coffee for your brand, the label names your business with a qualifying phrase such as “manufactured for” or “distributed by”. This is common for private-label coffee, where a contract roaster fills bags under your brand.

Required items can sit either all on the principal display panel, or some on it and the rest on the information panel. Required text on the information panel uses type at least 1/16 inch in height. If any label text is in another language, FDA asks for all required statements in English and in the foreign language.

Does coffee need a Nutrition Facts label?

Plain coffee does not need a Nutrition Facts panel. FDA's nutrition labeling rule exempts foods that contain insignificant amounts of all the required nutrients. An insignificant amount is that amount that allows a declaration of zero in nutrition labeling. The regulation names coffee beans (whole or ground), tea leaves, plain unsweetened instant coffee and tea as examples of exempt foods.

The exemption holds only if the food bears no nutrition claims or other nutrition information in any context on the label or in labeling or advertising. Words such as sugar free, low calorie or a line about antioxidants on the bag or on your product page can be read as nutrition information and bring back the full panel.

Coffee with added ingredients is a different case. Coffee mixed with sugar, cocoa, milk powder or creamer has nutrients, so a Nutrition Facts panel applies unless the business qualifies for a small business exemption. One FDA exemption covers firms with sales to consumers not more than $500,000 a year, or food sales to consumers not more than $50,000. A package loses the exemption if a nutrition claim is made or nutrition information is provided. The exemption covers only the Nutrition Facts panel. The name, net weight, address, ingredients and allergens are still required.

Flavored coffee: ingredients, flavor names and allergens

Flavored coffee is coffee plus at least one more ingredient, so it needs an ingredient list. Ingredients are listed in descending order of predominance by weight. Coffee is almost always first.

Added flavor can be named in the ingredient list as “spice”, “natural flavor”, or “artificial flavor”, or any combination thereof. Example: Ingredients: arabica coffee, natural and artificial flavor.

A flavor becomes the characterizing flavor when the label points to it by word, vignette, e.g., depiction of a fruit, or other means, such as a picture of a vanilla bean or the word hazelnut on the front. Then the name on the front panel includes the common or usual name of the characterizing flavor, e.g., “vanilla”, in letters not less than one-half the height of the letters in the coffee's name, for example vanilla flavored coffee. If an artificial flavor simulates or reinforces that flavor, the flavor name carries the word “artificial” or “artificially flavored”.

Allergens apply to flavored coffee because a flavoring, coloring, or incidental additive that is, or that bears or contains, a major food allergen shall be subject to the labeling requirements. The nine major allergens are milk, eggs, fish, Crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame. For tree nuts, the label names the type of tree nut (for example, almonds, pecans, walnuts). A hazelnut coffee made with a flavoring that contains real hazelnut must say so, either in parentheses following the name of the ingredient or immediately after or next to the list of ingredients in a “contains” statement. Lines such as “may contain [allergen] or “produced in a facility that also uses [allergen].” are not required by law and must be truthful.

Roast date, origin, organic and fair-trade claims

These lines are optional under federal rules. Each one has to be accurate, because a food is misbranded if its labeling is false or misleading in any particular.

• Roast date and best-by date: Except for infant formula, product dating is not required by federal regulations. Dates exist to help consumers and retailers decide when food is of best quality. If you print a best-by date, USDA recommends the phrase "Best if Used By". A roasted-on date is common on specialty coffee and is your choice.
• Origin: a single-origin or estate name must match the beans in the bag. An unqualified Made in USA claim needs all or virtually all ingredients or components of the product are made and sourced in the United States, so coffee grown abroad and roasted in the US can use a qualified line such as roasted in the USA from imported beans.
• Organic: USDA sets the categories. 100 percent organic means 100 percent organic ingredients, excluding water and salt; organic means at least 95 percent organic ingredients, excluding water and salt; made with organic means at least 70 percent organic ingredients, excluding water and salt. Certified products name the certifier with "Certified organic by" followed by the certifier's name, below the handler or distributor. Businesses with $5,000 or less in gross organic sales a year may skip certification but must not display the USDA seal or a certifier's seal.
• Fair trade and other sourcing marks: these logos come from private certification programs. Use a mark only as the certifying program allows, and only on coffee covered by that certification.

How to check a coffee label before you print

Run through these steps for each product and each bag size. A new flavor or a new bag size can change the label.

1. Write the name

   Put a plain name such as whole bean coffee or ground decaf coffee on the front, with any characterizing flavor in it.

2. Set the net weight

   State the weight in both grams and ounces, in the bottom 30 percent of the principal display panel, and check it against filled bags.

3. Add who stands behind it

   Print the name and address of the manufacturer, packer or distributor, with a phrase such as “manufactured for” or “distributed by” if someone else roasts for you.

4. Decide on Nutrition Facts

   Plain coffee with no nutrition claims is exempt. Coffee with sugar, cocoa or creamer, or any nutrition claim, needs the panel or a small business exemption.

5. List ingredients and allergens

   For flavored coffee, list every ingredient in descending order of predominance by weight and check each flavoring for the nine major allergens.

6. Review optional claims

   Keep proof for origin, organic and fair-trade lines, and check your state's rules for roasters before the bag goes on sale.

Where Nation fits

Questions about coffee labeling