Nutrition Facts Panel FAQs
Posted by Theo Chocolate on Jul 27th 2020
Have you noticed a change on our Nutrition Facts Panel? Here is everything you need to know about the updates.
Our Pure 70% Dark Chocolate Nutrition Facts Panel
What is a Nutrition Facts Panel?
Every nationally-distributed product from Theo is required to have a Nutrition Facts Panel on the label. As an organic food manufacturer, we believe that people should know how their food is made. The Nutrition Facts Panel is a tool for people to understand what is in their food so that they can make informed decisions about what they choose to eat.
We do not create the Nutrition Facts Panels that you find on our products. For accuracy and transparency, we work with an external consultant that creates them for us.
Noticed a change on the Nutrition Facts Panel?
Yes, we were required to change the Nutrition Facts Panel to be compliant with regulations created by the FDA. In May 2016, the government announced updated rules for packaged foods. As part of this update, the FDA modified the reference serving size for particular foods groups, also known as the RACC (“Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed”). The RACC for chocolate shifted from 40g to 30g, which is why the servings per bar switched from two servings per bar to three servings per bar.
Learn more about all the changes to the Nutrition Facts Panel on the FDA website here.
But your bars have 8 scored squares? How are we supposed to follow the three servings guidelines?
When we originally designed our chocolate bar molds, we wanted to create the perfect snack size. Our bars are pre-scored so that there are 8 squares for people to easily break off and enjoy. Before the Nutritional Facts Panel change, it was easier for people break off half a bar (4 squares) and understand how much sugar and how many calories they would be consuming. We recognize that with this change to three servings per bar now makes it harder for people to do that.
A Theo Bar Mold
Why not change the molds then?
We make our chocolate from scratch, and while we take great pride in that, it also means that we are responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of a working chocolate factory. Changing our mold design would not only be environmentally-unfriendly but would be an investment in resources that we could instead use for other needed updates to the factory. If we ever consider a mold update, then we will do our best to match the scored sections to the serving size on the Nutrition Facts Panel.
How should I break up the bar to match the 3 servings per bar update?
2.5 squares = 1/3 of the bar.
Why does the sugar content vary from the old to the new packaging format?
The ratio of sugar to cocoa ingredients in our 85% dark chocolate recipe did not change with the switch to the new labels/Nutrition Facts Panel (otherwise, it wouldn’t be considered an 85% chocolate). The discrepancy between the two formats can very likely be attributed to rounding. All values in the NFP are rounded to the nearest gram (.4 and below is rounded down, .5 and above is rounded up). Since the FDA changed the recommended serving size for chocolate from 40g (old labels) to 30g (new labels), the total sugar content is now divided over three servings as opposed to two. For example, the total sugar content could be 13.2 grams per bar, which would be 6.6g when you divide into two servings (rounded up to 7g) or 4.4g when you divide into 3 servings (rounded down to 4g).