Last verified 16 Sep 2026 · Sources
Maybe your variety pack bundles several separately packaged snacks, drinks or other foods, each meant to be eaten on its own. Think of an assortment box of granola bars, jerky sticks or single-serve trail mix pouches. It can carry one Nutrition Facts label on the outer carton, with a column of values for each food (21 CFR 101.9(d)(13)). Then a shopper doesn’t have to open the box and read each wrapper.
| Quick facts | Aggregate |
|---|---|
| Governing rule | 21 CFR 101.9(d)(13) |
| Allowed when | Outer package contains 2+ separately packaged foods meant to be eaten individually |
| Required when | Never required. Each inner package may carry its own full panel instead. |
| Package area | Any (governs the outer package's label) |
| In the NutriLabels builder | Expert service only (not in the builder) |
When can you use it?
An aggregate display is allowed on “the outer label of packages of products that contain two or more separately packaged foods that are intended to be eaten individually” (21 CFR 101.9(d)(13)). So the foods inside have to be packaged separately from each other, and a customer has to be expected to eat each one on its own.
Examples are an assortment of full-size candy bars, a box of individually wrapped granola bars in two flavors, or a variety case of bottled drinks. It’s built for the shelf, where the buying decision happens at the outer carton, even though the eating happens item by item.
When do you have to use it?
You never have to. You can skip the aggregate approach entirely and let each separately packaged food inside carry its own standard Nutrition Facts panel. Then the shared outer carton needs no panel, beyond what other labeling rules (net weight, ingredient statement) already call for.
Aggregate display is a convenience for the outer package. You choose it when you want one label a retailer or shopper can read without opening the box. Unlike the per-serving/per-container dual column, no size or serving threshold triggers it.
What changes on the panel?
The basic structure follows the standard vertical panel “to the maximum extent practicable” (21 CFR 101.9(d)(13)(ii)). There’s one key change. Instead of one column of values under one “Nutrition Facts” heading, each food’s name is printed right next to that heading, on the right. Its nutrient amounts and % Daily Value (%DV) run in their own column under its name (21 CFR 101.9(d)(13)(ii)).
In practice, you see a shared “Nutrition Facts” title with two, three or more labeled columns (“Original,” “BBQ,” “Spicy”). Each column has its own full nutrient list. Required nutrients, rounding and order stay the same as a standard panel for each column. What changes is the number of columns and the header row that shows which food each one belongs to.
The %DV footnote is part of (d)(9), which applies once to the whole panel. So it appears one time beneath the display, not under each food’s column.
Mistakes to watch for
- Using an aggregate label when the foods inside aren’t meant to be eaten on their own. A bag of mixed nuts sold as one combined snack doesn’t qualify the way a box of separately wrapped bars does.
- Leaving off the name line for each food, so a shopper can’t tell which column belongs to which flavor or item in the box.
- Using aggregate formatting for a single food sold in several package sizes, instead of truly different foods. That’s a different labeling question, not this format.
- Skipping a full nutrient list for one food because its values look like another item’s. Each column still needs its own complete, separately calculated panel.
- Expecting the builder to put this together for you. The NutriLabels builder doesn’t make multi-food aggregate panels, so they need the done-for-you label service.
Which products usually use it?
Aggregate labeling shows up on multi-item boxes and cases. Think variety packs of granola bars or protein bars in different flavors, assortment boxes of candy or chocolate, and sampler cases of jerky. Others are mixed-flavor cases of soda and beverages, and gift boxes of individually wrapped cookies.
Build your label
The self-serve builder doesn’t make aggregate displays. They need a person checking that each food’s name, column and nutrient list line up correctly on one outer panel.
One outer panel lets a shopper compare every food in your box without opening it. Send us the recipes and we’ll build it for you. The done-for-you label service ($249) builds your panel in every FDA format your product qualifies for, aggregate included. Delivery is within 5 business days, with two revisions within 30 days of delivery. Order a done-for-you label.
For a product that doesn’t need this format, enter your recipe in the builder and then see your label. Your calories, the claims you qualify for and your allergen line are free, and no credit card is required. The rest of the numbers on your label stay hidden until you buy a Single Product ($29) or the Studio plan ($299 a year). A Single Product unlocks the rest of the numbers on your label in every FDA format your product qualifies for, with the ingredient statement and the allergen declaration. Start your label, or compare the other label formats.
Aggregate format FAQ
What counts as an "aggregate" label?
It's a single Nutrition Facts display on the outer carton of a variety pack, box or assortment. The pack holds two or more separately packaged foods meant to be eaten on their own. It has one column of values per food instead of one panel per item.
Do I have to use an aggregate label on a variety pack?
No. The rule makes it a "may," not a "must" (21 CFR 101.9(d)(13)). Each separately packaged food inside can carry its own complete panel instead, and many brands do exactly that.
Does every food in the box need its own column?
Yes. The name of each food is listed right next to the "Nutrition Facts" heading, on the right (101.9(d)(13)(ii)). That food's amounts and %DV run in a column under its own name.
Can a snack-cracker-and-cheese combo pack use this format?
Usually not. A crackers-and-cheese cup is usually eaten as one combined food, not as separately packaged items meant to be eaten on their own. That makes it a "common combinations of food" case under 21 CFR 101.9(e), not an aggregate display under (d)(13).
Is this the same as the builder's dual-column formats?
No. Dual column (per serving/per container, or as-packaged/as-prepared) still describes one food. Aggregate describes several different foods on one outer label. That's why the NutriLabels builder doesn't make it, and it's handled through the done-for-you label service instead.
Related formats
Dual column: two forms of the same food, Dual column: per serving / per container, Standard vertical, Tabular. See the full all label formats.