The technical specification for dietary supplement founders, contract manufacturers, and Amazon sellers. Compare 21 CFR 101.36 against food Nutrition Facts, check exact minimum pt typography and < 12 sq in exemptions, and open live vector specimens directly in the Studio.
| Compliance Dimension | Supplement Facts (21 CFR 101.36) | Nutrition Facts (21 CFR 101.9) |
|---|---|---|
| Governing Regulation | 21 CFR 101.36 (Dietary Supplements / DSHEA) | 21 CFR 101.9 (Conventional Foods) |
| Panel Title & Header | "Supplement Facts" (bold, largest type on panel; full-width rule below) | "Nutrition Facts" (bold Helvetica/sans-serif header) |
| Zero / Absent Core Nutrients | Omitted automatically when amount is 0 (except optional Calories < 5 kcal rule) | 14 mandatory nutrients must print even as 0g / 0% unless Simplified exemption qualifies |
| Heavy 7pt Divider Bar | Mandatory separation: established %DV nutrients above, non-DV botanicals below | Separates Calories from Fats/Carbs and Core Macronutrients from Mandatory Vitamins/Minerals |
| Non-DV Botanicals & Aminos | Permitted below heavy bar with *, **, †, or ‡ linked to "Daily Value not established." | Not listed inside Nutrition Facts box (declared in ingredient list instead) |
| Proprietary Blends | Supported under 21 CFR 101.36(c) with total blend mass and descending indented actives | Not applicable; all ingredients appear only in the Ingredients statement |
| Inactive Excipients Label | Must use "Other Ingredients:" outside the box (capsules, pectin, rice hulls) | Uses "Ingredients:" listing every ingredient in descending order by weight |
| DSHEA Disclaimer Box | Mandatory 21 CFR 101.93 box whenever structure/function claims appear on bottle | Not required for conventional food nutrition panels |
| Panel Element | Standard Bottle (> 40 sq in) | Small Package (≤ 40 & < 12 sq in) | Hairline / Heavy Rule Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Supplement Facts" Heading | Largest type in panel (>= 14pt–16pt recommended; > other panel text) | >= 6pt minimum (larger than all body text in panel) | Full-width 0.5pt hairline or space above Serving Size |
| Serving Size & Servings Per Container | >= 8pt regular/bold sans-serif (e.g., "2 Vegetarian Capsules") | >= 6pt (or >= 4.5pt on < 12 sq in Linear exemption) | 7pt heavy horizontal bar directly below Serving info |
| "Amount Per Serving" & "% Daily Value" | >= 6pt–8pt bold column headers | >= 6pt (>= 4.5pt when < 12 sq in) | 3pt medium horizontal bar directly beneath column headers |
| (b)(2) Nutrients & (b)(3) Dietary Ingredients | >= 8pt body font, flush-left with 0.5pt hairline dividers | >= 6pt (12–40 sq in) · >= 4.5pt (< 12 sq in total surface area) | 7pt heavy bar strictly dividing (b)(2) %DV rows from (b)(3) botanicals |
| Footnote ("† Daily Value not established.") | >= 6pt (matches *, **, †, or ‡ symbol without collision) | >= 6pt (>= 4.5pt extreme small package) | 1pt outer box border + 1pt hairline box around DSHEA disclaimer |
When Can You Use the Linear (< 12 sq in) Layout?
Under 21 CFR 101.36(i)(2), if your bottle, packet, or sachet has less than 12 square inches of total surface area available to bear labeling (excluding bottle necks, seams, and crimps) AND cannot accommodate a vertical or tabular grid at minimum point size, you may switch to the continuous Linear format at 4.5pt+.
Multi-Group %DV Calculations (Adults vs. Infants & Children 1–3)
FoodNutritionLabelMaker calculates exact nearest-whole-% values across all 4 statutory target populations (adults_4plus, infants, children_1_3, and pregnant_lactating), automatically switching the Percent Daily Value footnote from 2,000 to 1,000 calories when targeting toddlers ages 1–3.
Full vertical hierarchy with 7pt rule separating Calories/Vitamins above from Botanical Blends below, plus boxed DSHEA statement and Other Ingredients.
Surface Rule: Packages > 40 sq in (or standard cylinder bottles)
Replaces full-width horizontal strokes with lighter hairline separation to preserve legibility on tight capsule bottle wraps without dropping below minimum pt type.
Surface Rule: Intermediate packages (12 to 40 sq in) or narrow cylindrical jars
Splits dense macronutrient + amino/enzyme rosters cleanly side-by-side while retaining Top 9 FASTER Act allergen scanning on Whey (Milk) and Soy Lecithin.
Surface Rule: Wide tub labels, gusset bags & low-height multi-column wraps
Permitted by FDA when neither Standard nor Tabular fits cleanly on small packaging. Compresses nutrients into continuous wrapped inline declarations.
Surface Rule: Total available labeling surface < 12 sq in where vertical/tabular cannot fit
Declares only the aggregate blend mg weight while hiding internal sub-ingredient weights, sorted strictly in descending order by mass.
Surface Rule: Trade-secret nootropic, adaptogen, energy & botanical matrices
Any bottle making a structure/function claim (e.g., “Supports Restful Sleep” or “Promotes Bone Density”) must print the exact statutory DSHEA text inside a clearly demarcated hairline border box in boldface type, usually right beneath or adjacent to the Supplement Facts box:
* or †) tied to your structure/function claim; our engine auto-resolves symbol collisions between *, **, †, ‡.Formulators routinely hide proprietary nootropic or adaptogen ratios from competitors while remaining 100% compliant with federal regulations:
1. Aggregate Blend Weight + Indented Constituents
Declare the blend name and total serving weight (e.g., Proprietary Focus Blend · 850mg · †), followed by indented extracts sorted strictly from highest to lowest milligram weight with individual sub-weights hidden.
2. Separate Inactive Excipients into “Other Ingredients:”
Capsule shells (Pullulan / Hypromellose), binders, gummies' pectin/tapioca bases, and flavorings never enter the box—they render immediately below under Other Ingredients: in descending weight order.
Vitamins/Minerals with official FDA Daily Values (Vitamin D3, Magnesium, Zinc) sit above the heavy 7pt bar; herbs, probiotics, and Proprietary Blends sit below with matching footnote symbols.
Amazon compliance bots compare bottle PDP text (e.g., "90 Capsules") with Supplement Facts ("Serving Size: 2 Capsules / Servings Per Container: 45"). Mismatches trigger instant listing suppression.
Never place gelatin, hypromellose, pectin, citric acid, or flavors inside the Supplement Facts box—and never place active herbal extracts inside Other Ingredients.
Verify whey/casein (Milk), soy lecithin (Soy), fish oil species (Fish), crustacean glucosamine (Shellfish), or sesame extracts trigger explicit "Contains:" declarations.
Avoid "treats", "cures", or "prevents" on front panels; pair permitted structure/function claims with the verbatim 21 CFR 101.93 boxed DSHEA statement in >= 6pt boldface.
Even when sub-ingredient weights are hidden for IP protection, constituents inside a Proprietary Blend must appear strictly in descending order of predominance by weight.
Include the US street address, city, state, and ZIP code of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor adjacent to the Supplement Facts panel (21 CFR 101.5).
Export pure CMYK K-100 (0 0 0 1) vector PDFs or high-contrast 600 DPI PNGs so bottle proofs pass human compliance photo review without blurry anti-aliased text.
Pre-load Gummies, Magnesium Capsules, Whey Protein Tubs, or Proprietary Nootropic Blends—toggle Standard, Tabular, Hairline, or Linear layouts, inspect on an amber bottle mockup, and export CMYK K-100 vector PDFs.