Last verified 16 Sep 2026 · Sources
The simplified Nutrition Facts format is a shortened panel allowed under 21 CFR 101.9(f) when a food contains insignificant amounts of 8 or more of 15 listed nutrients: coffee, tea, most spice blends, and plain honey are typical candidates, since there’s little left on the panel to declare.
| Quick facts | Simplified |
|---|---|
| Governing rule | 21 CFR 101.9(f) |
| Allowed when | Insignificant amounts of 8 or more of 15 listed nutrients (6 of 11 for infant/child foods) |
| Required when | Never required; optional alternative to the standard vertical panel |
| Package area | Any; the test is nutrient content, not package size |
| In the NutriLabels builder | Renders in the NutriLabels builder |
When you may use it
21 CFR 101.9(f) permits the simplified format when a product has insignificant amounts of 8 or more of: calories, total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrate, dietary fiber, total sugars, added sugars, protein, vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium. For foods intended for infants through 12 months and children 1 through 3 years old under 101.9(j)(5)(i), the bar is lower: 6 or more insignificant out of an 11-nutrient list. “Insignificant” has a precise meaning under 101.9(f)(1): an amount small enough to round to zero, except total carbohydrate, dietary fiber, and protein, where it means an amount that supports a “less than 1 gram” declaration instead.
When it is required
It’s never required. 101.9(f) is written as “may,” an option you can take or skip in favor of the full standard vertical panel if your product qualifies. What actually drives the choice is space and clarity: once 8 or more nutrients would just show as zero anyway, the shorter panel is often easier for your shoppers to read and easier to fit on a small label.
What changes on the panel
Even on a simplified panel, five nutrients are non-negotiable under 101.9(f)(2)(i): total calories, total fat, total carbohydrate, protein, and sodium, listed regardless of amount. Add to that any of the other 15 nutrients present in more than insignificant amounts (101.9(f)(2)(ii)), any vitamins or minerals required as nutrient supplements for a standard-of-identity food (101.9(f)(2)(iii)), and any voluntarily added nutrient supplements (101.9(f)(2)(iv)). Nutrients naturally present in more-than-insignificant amounts may also be declared voluntarily under 101.9(f)(3). The distinguishing feature is the footnote-area statement required by 101.9(f)(4): if any of those optional or claim-driven nutrients appear, or your label carries a nutrition claim, your label needs “Not a significant source of __,” filling the blank with every listed nutrient present only in insignificant amounts. Layout-wise, simplified content can sit inside a vertical column or, when the package also meets the size test in 101.9(j)(13), a tabular or linear layout; the NutriLabels builder renders all three as simplified vertical, simplified tabular, and simplified linear.
Common mistakes
- Treating “simplified” as a layout choice rather than a nutrient-content test. Your product doesn’t qualify just because you want a shorter label.
- Dropping sodium, total fat, total carbohydrate, or protein because the amount is tiny; those five are mandatory regardless.
- Adding a “low sodium” or similar claim without then including the required “Not a significant source of __” statement for every other insignificant nutrient.
- Miscounting the 15-nutrient list and qualifying at 6 or 7 insignificant nutrients instead of the required 8.
- Forgetting that infant and child foods use a different, lower threshold (6 of 11) than general foods (8 of 15).
- Assuming a shorter nutrient list means less serving-size math. The RACC and rounding rules under 21 CFR 101.9 and 101.12 still apply in full before you can even test which nutrients are insignificant.
Products that usually need this
Products with very short nutrient profiles are the usual candidates: tea, spice-blends, honey, candy, and jam-jelly often qualify for simplified once the required calculation confirms 8 or more nutrients round to insignificant.
Build it
A short panel that still lists the five required nutrients gives your tea, honey, or spice blend a label that’s easy to read on a small jar. Enter your recipe, then see your label: free with no card required, you see your calories, the claims you qualify for, your allergen line and the nutrient to watch, and every other value and %DV stays hidden until you unlock it. $29 unlocks every other nutrient value and %DV, every FDA format your product qualifies for (simplified included, whether vertical, tabular, or linear), the ingredient statement and allergen declaration. Start your label, or compare the other label formats.
Simplified format FAQ
What counts as an "insignificant amount" for the simplified format test?
Under 21 CFR 101.9(f)(1), it''s the amount that allows a declaration of zero on the label, except total carbohydrate, dietary fiber, and protein, where it means an amount that allows "less than 1 gram."
Which 15 nutrients does the 8-or-more count come from?
Calories, total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrate, dietary fiber, total sugars, added sugars, protein, vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium (21 CFR 101.9(f)). Infant and child foods under 101.9(j)(5)(i) use a shorter 11-nutrient list and need only 6 insignificant to qualify.
Do I still have to list calories, fat, carbs, protein, and sodium even if they're all near zero?
Yes. 21 CFR 101.9(f)(2)(i) requires total calories, total fat, total carbohydrate, protein, and sodium on every simplified panel regardless of how small the amounts are.
Can a simplified panel be tabular or linear instead of a vertical column?
Yes. The simplified nutrient list is a content rule, not a layout rule, so it can be presented as a vertical column, or combined with the tabular or linear layouts under 21 CFR 101.9(j)(13) when the package also qualifies by size.
What does the "Not a significant source of ___" line mean?
Under 21 CFR 101.9(f)(4), if you voluntarily declare, or your product carries a nutrition claim about, one of the 15 listed nutrients present in only insignificant amounts, the rule requires that statement at the bottom naming every such nutrient.
Related formats
Standard vertical, Tabular, Linear, Bilingual (English/Spanish). See the full all label formats.