Are sample food packages required to include Nutrition Facts or other food label components?
(November 2007) Food samples do not have to be labeled with any of the required label components as long as the product package clearly identifies the product as a sample. For example, the product packaging can include the words “not labeled for retail sale.” It doesn’t matter if the samples are distributed by mail, handed out, or offered for taste testing in a retail store or other public place. A company may voluntarily include some or all of the required label components on a food sample package, but if all five label components are not presented in the manner FDA specifies, the label must state “not labeled for retail sale” or equivalent wording. Providing retail-ready samples is often a smart choice in achieving the objective of a sample campaign; there is widespread consumer interest in knowing the ingredients and nutritional value of purchased foods. To have retail sale ready sample packages, the five required label components are: statement of identity, statement of net content
