The 200 percent rule

One size smaller changes the label

On this page11

Our shelf clusters at a few sizes And for a syrup two of them straddle the line There is nothing between them on our shelf Which is convenient rather than deliberate For honey the line is lower So an infused honey is almost always multi-serving here The lesson is to check the reference amount first Then check what you actually stock And do not solve it by rounding Pick the band on purpose References

59 and 118. The two commonest small sizes on this shelf sit in different bands.

Our shelf clusters at a few sizes

23 containers at 237 mL, 21 at 118, 17 at 59, 13 at 473. Four sizes account for three quarters of the shelf.

And for a syrup two of them straddle the line

59 mL is under the 60 mL threshold and is a single-serving container. 118 mL is nearly four reference amounts and labels normally.

There is nothing between them on our shelf

One container at 65 mL and one at 89. So the dual-column band for a syrup is almost empty here, and the practical choice is one band or the other.

Which is convenient rather than deliberate

Nobody designed this shelf around the 200 percent rule. The 2 oz and 4 oz sizes are conventional and the threshold happens to fall between them.

For honey the line is lower

The reference amount is 1 tbsp, so 200 percent is 2 tbsp, around 30 mL. We hold 3 containers at 30 mL and nothing below.

So an infused honey is almost always multi-serving here

Which is the opposite of the syrup situation, and it comes from the reference amount rather than from the shelf.

The lesson is to check the reference amount first

Two liquids that look alike on a shelf can have reference amounts a factor of two apart, and the threshold moves with them.

Then check what you actually stock

A shelf with a gap at the threshold is easier to work with than one crowded around it, because the decision becomes a size choice rather than a measurement argument.

And do not solve it by rounding

A 2 oz bottle is 59 mL. Calling it 60 to clear the threshold is inventing a value, which is the one thing this catalog will not do.

Pick the band on purpose

A single-serving container is a legitimate choice for a dosed product, and so is a multi-serving one. The failure is arriving in a band without noticing.

References

21 CFR 101.9(b)(6): "A product that is packaged and sold individually that contains less than 200 percent of the applicable reference amount must be considered to be a single-serving container, and the entire content of the product must be labeled as one serving." The same paragraph permits voluntary dual-column labeling for a product holding 150 to 200 percent of the reference amount. law.cornell.edu

21 CFR 101.12(b), Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed Per Eating Occasion. The amounts that reach this shelf: hard candies and breath mints 2 g; all other candies 30 g; cookies 30 g; brownies 40 g; syrups "30 mL for all syrups"; honey, jams, jellies, fruit butter, molasses, fruit pastes and fruit chutneys 1 tbsp; carbonated and noncarbonated beverages, wine coolers and water 360 mL. law.cornell.edu

The Davis Pack Supply catalog, measured 19 October 2026. The edibles shelf is 357 rows: 97 containers and 260 closures. 30 to 473 mL with a median of 177, every container with a capacity on file. 22 under 60 mL, 2 between 60 and 90, 73 over 90. By count: 23 at 237 mL, 21 at 118, 17 at 59, 13 at 473, 6 at 177, 6 at 355, 3 at 30. 66 PP and 31 glass, with no PET, HDPE or metal. 78 jars, 12 tubs and pails, 6 bottles, 1 tube. 29 white, 24 natural, 19 clear, 11 black, 8 amber, 4 frosted, 2 blue. Closures: 164 continuous thread polypropylene lids, 39 metal or aluminum CT caps, 22 dome lids, 14 child resistant, 9 sealing discs, 6 round tub lids, 3 phenolic, 2 metal overshell lids.

Written from 21 CFR 101.9 and 101.12 and from the catalog as it stood on 19 October 2026. The serving-size rules quoted here are the federal food-labeling rules; dose caps, potency labeling, child-resistant packaging and exit packaging for a licensed cannabis edible are set state by state and nothing here describes them. Four of the reference amounts that matter on this shelf are expressed in grams and our capacity field is in millilitres, so for gummies, chocolate and baked goods our data cannot tell you which band a jar falls in.