If you have a natural products store or intend to open one, you need to pay attention to the labeling.
Knowing how it is made and the correct quantities is essential to deliver a reliable product to the consumer and, of course, that complies with industry standards.
To learn more about the new labeling rule, see the materials from Taina Alimentos, on the Gazeta do Povo channel. There you will find complete content about labels and everything that involves the universe of natural products.
Without further ado, find out how to calculate the nutritional table and develop a label within food standards, below.
See also | Step by step on how to set up a Natural Products Store
How to calculate the nutritional table of your product?
If you do not know the main items on the label, nor the importance of nutritional table, just access the two contents below. They are the kickstart to fully understanding the calculation.
-> content 01: nutritional table
-> content 02: how to read food labels
To calculate the amount that goes on a food label, you need to take into account its portion. And who can help with this is Anvisa’s reference table, where you will find your product category.
If none of the options presented in the table fit your product, you will need to calculate the energy value based on 100g of food. To do this, use item 4 of RDC table no. 359.
The next step is to carry out the list of ingredients. Find out the ingredients in the recipe and the quantities of each item.
To calculate the percentage of each ingredient in the product, you need to follow a rule of three. Want a practical example? If you use 100 grams of flour in a 1000 gram cake, the flour percentage is 10%.
Next, it’s time to use the food composition table. It is used to calculate the nutritional values of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, among others.
Although there are some tables on the market, the most used are TACO, prepared by Unicamp, and TBCA from USP.
TACO table
It is one of the most complete food composition tables. The table prepared by Unicamp can be accessed at the link below.
Tabela TBCA
TBCA is now in its sixth edition. By using information from TACO itself and other tables, TBCA already includes the information about cooked and prepared foods.
It is worth mentioning that it is only in this option that you will find the reference values for trans fat.
Access the table below.
If any ingredient in your product is not in the tables, it will be necessary to send it for a physical-chemical analysis in a laboratory before commercialization.
Last but not least, it is necessary calculate the total energy value of the food. To do this, you must use the following conversion measures:
- fats: 9 kcal/g — 37 kJ/g;
- proteins: 4 kcal/g — 17 kJ/g;
- carbohydrates: 4 kcal/g — 17 kJ/g.
To carry out the necessary conversions, simply multiply the value by the conversion factor for each nutritional item listed above.
Companies like Tainá Alimentos are already aware of these new label changes and maintain correct calculations in their products.
Specializing in natural products, Taina delivers food options that preserve most of the original nutrients found in natural ingredients. All of this within the correct labeling standards, bringing even more transparency to the food it produces.
Look for the brand’s products in natural food stores near you! Or visit the website and find out more.
