What has to be on my jam label?

By Dwight Davis, Founder

Updated October 2026

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Two panels do the work Element 1: the statement of identity Element 2: the net weight Element 3: the ingredient list Element 4: name and place of business Element 5: allergens The cottage food layer A label checked against the rules Build it, then make sure it stays on the jar References

A jam label needs five federal elements: the name of the food (the statement of identity), the net weight, the ingredient list in order of weight, the name and place of business of whoever made or distributed it, and any major food allergens, of which there are now nine including sesame [1][2][3][4][5]. A Nutrition Facts panel is also required unless you qualify for an exemption, which most small jam makers do. If you sell under a cottage food law, your state adds its own disclosure statement on top of these, often with a minimum type size. This page walks through the label panel by panel, with the rules for where each element goes and how big it must be.

Two panels do the work

Federal rules divide a label into two regions.

The principal display panel is the part a shopper sees first on the shelf, the front of the jar. The name of the food and the net weight go here [1][2].
The information panel is the part "immediately contiguous and to the right of the principal display panel," as you face the front [6]. The ingredient list, the name and address, and nutrition information go here or on the front [6]. Everything on the information panel must "appear in one place without other intervening material" [6], so a recipe story or a photo cannot sit between the ingredient list and your address.

On a round jar with a single wraparound label, the front is whatever you design to face out, and the information panel is the stretch of label to its right.

Measuring your front panel

The size of the principal display panel sets the minimum height of the net weight type, so measure it. For a cylindrical jar, the area is "40 percent of the product of the height of the container times the circumference," and you exclude "tops, bottoms, flanges at tops and bottoms of cans, and shoulders and necks of bottles or jars" [7]. The height is the labelable body of the jar, not the full jar with lid.

Example, using measurements you would take from your own jar: a straight body 2.5 inches tall and 8.5 inches around gives 0.40 × 2.5 × 8.5 = 8.5 square inches. That falls in the over 5 to 25 square inch tier below.

Element 1: the statement of identity

The name goes on the front panel, in bold type, in a size "reasonably related to the most prominent printed matter" on that panel, in lines generally parallel to the base of the jar [1]. If federal law sets a name, you use it [1]: "Strawberry Jam" or "Strawberry Preserves" for a product that meets the jam standard, "Grape Jelly," "Apple Butter." A product that does not meet a standard takes an honest descriptive name, such as "Strawberry Fruit Spread." Which name fits which product is on what you can call your jam. Your brand name can be as large as you like, but it does not replace the statement of identity.

Element 2: the net weight

Jam is a semisolid, so the declaration is by weight. The rule says the quantity is stated "in terms of weight if the food is solid, semisolid, or viscous" [2], and "The term "net weight" shall be used" [2]. Write "Net Wt," never "8 fl oz."

Rules that trip people up:

Placement. The net weight goes on the front panel "within the bottom 30 percent of the area of the label panel," in lines generally parallel to the base [2]. A panel of 5 square inches or less is excused from the bottom-30-percent placement, though not from the rest [2].
Separation. It must "appear as a distinct item," separated from other printed matter by "at least a space equal to the height of the lettering used in the declaration" [2], in "conspicuous and easily legible boldface print or type in distinct contrast" [2].
Units. Packages under 4 pounds are declared "both in ounces" and, at a pound or more, in pounds in parentheses: a jar holding 20 ounces of jam would read "Net Wt 20 oz (1 lb 4 oz)," printed with its metric figure as "Net Wt 20 oz (1 lb 4 oz) 567 g," following the regulation's own example of "Net Wt. 24 oz (1 lb 8 oz)" [2]. Under a pound, ounces alone satisfy the FDA rule: "Net Wt 9 oz."
Metric. Print grams as well as ounces. The regulation and the statute read differently here: 21 CFR 101.7 still says a metric statement "may also appear on the principal display panel or on other panels" [2], but the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act, as amended in 1992, requires the net quantity in "both the customary inch/pound system of measure" and "the SI metric system" [15]. The statute governs, so a 9 ounce jar reads "Net Wt 9 oz (255 g)." The Act names two exceptions: random-weight packages labeled in pounds and decimal fractions of a pound, and foods packaged at the retail store level [15]. A jar of jam filled to a declared weight is neither. Your state weights and measures office enforces net quantity, so ask it if you are unsure how the rule applies to a home-kitchen sale.
Accuracy. The figure must reveal the food "exclusive of wrappers and other material packed therewith" [2]. Weigh filled jars and subtract the jar and lid, as described on jar sizes and fill weights. "Reasonable variations caused by loss or gain of moisture" are recognized, but variations "shall not be unreasonably large" [2].
No puffery. The declaration "shall not include any term qualifying a unit of weight" such as "jumbo" or "full" [2].

Minimum type height for the net weight

Front panel area	Minimum height of the net weight figures [2]
5 square inches or less	1/16 inch
Over 5 to 25 square inches	1/8 inch
Over 25 to 100 square inches	3/16 inch
Over 100 square inches	1/4 inch (1/2 inch over 400)

Most half-pint and 4 ounce jam labels fall in the first two tiers. The net weight section is 21 CFR 101.7; older sources sometimes cite 101.105, which is not the rule for this.

Element 3: the ingredient list

List each ingredient "by common or usual name in descending order of predominance by weight" [3]. In most jams that means fruit first and sugar second, but check: in a recipe that uses more sugar than fruit by weight, sugar leads the list. Ingredients present at 2 percent or less may be grouped at the end after a phrase such as "Contains 2 percent or less of" [3].

Useful details for jam makers:

Pectin, acid and buffers may be followed by "used as needed" in a standardized jam or jelly when you add them only as the fruit requires [8].
Compound ingredients are declared with their own ingredients in parentheses, or with those ingredients listed individually [3]. Commercial pectin often contains dextrose and citric acid; the pectin box tells you what to declare, for example "fruit pectin (dextrose, pectin, citric acid)."
Preservatives must be named with their function, such as "potassium sorbate (preservative)" [9]. Sugar, salt, vinegar and spices are not chemical preservatives under the rule [9].
Spices may be declared as "spice," and the definition includes herbs such as basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme [9].

Element 4: name and place of business

The label must "specify conspicuously the name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor" [4]. If the name on the label is not the maker, qualify it: "Manufactured for" or "Distributed by" [4]. That matters if a copacker makes your jam or you sell a farm's private label.

The place of business means street address, city, state and ZIP code, though the street address "may be omitted if it is shown in a current city directory or telephone directory" [4]. Many cottage producers prefer not to print their home address; whether your state lets you use a PO box or a registration number instead is a state rule, so check your state page.

Element 5: allergens

The nine major food allergens are milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame. Sesame joined the list on January 1, 2023, under the FASTER Act [5]. Each must be declared one of two ways: in parentheses after the ingredient, as in "lecithin (soy)," or in a "Contains" statement immediately after or next to the ingredient list, as in "Contains: walnuts" [5][10]. For tree nuts, fish and shellfish, name the specific kind (almonds, pecans) rather than the category [10].

Plain fruit jam rarely contains a major allergen, but conserves with nuts, jams finished with butter, and anything made with a pectin or flavoring that carries soy or wheat do. "May contain" or "made in a kitchen that also processes" statements are voluntary, must be truthful, and do not replace good practices that prevent cross-contact [10].

The cottage food layer

A cottage food law usually keeps these federal elements and adds a disclosure statement, a minimum type size, or both. The statements vary, as these examples show. Each is quoted from the state source as of 2026; confirm the current wording with the agency before printing.

State	Required statement	Type size or other detail
Idaho	"This product is not subject to government food safety inspection or licensing requirements. It may contain allergens."	With producer name, contact information and ingredients [11]
Michigan	"Made in a home kitchen that has not been inspected by the Michigan department of agriculture and rural development."	At least 11 point [12]
Texas	"THIS PRODUCT WAS PRODUCED IN A PRIVATE RESIDENCE THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENTAL LICENSING OR INSPECTION."	With name, address or registration ID, common name and allergens [13]
Florida	"Made in a cottage food operation that is not subject to Florida's food safety regulations."	At least 10 point [14]

Every state's statement, cap and label rule is on selling jam in your state. Put the cottage statement where the state says (some require the front panel), and never let it crowd the net weight's required clear space.

A label checked against the rules

Element	On the front panel	On the information panel	Rule
Name of food	"Strawberry Jam," bold, parallel to base		21 CFR 101.3 [1]
Net weight	"Net Wt 9 oz (255 g)," bottom 30 percent, at least 1/8 inch on an 8.5 sq in panel		21 CFR 101.7 [2]; 15 U.S.C. 1453(a)(2) [15]
Ingredients		"Ingredients: strawberries, sugar, fruit pectin, lemon juice (used as needed)"	21 CFR 101.4 [3]; 150.160(e)(2) [8]
Allergens		"Contains" statement if any	FDA [5][10]
Name and address		Business name, city, state, ZIP (street unless excused)	21 CFR 101.5 [4]
Nutrition Facts		Panel, or none if exempt	Nutrition Facts
State statement	Where the state requires	Where the state requires	Your state law
Lot code, best-by	Anywhere legible (usually lid or back)		Not federally required for jam; see best-by dates and lot codes

The 9 ounce figure is an example. Your declared weight must come from weighing your own filled jars. All information-panel type must be at least 1/16 inch tall [6].

Build it, then make sure it stays on the jar

When the elements are settled, the jam label builder lays them out with your state's statement. Whether you also need a Nutrition Facts panel is the next decision, on do you need a Nutrition Facts panel?, and keeping the label on through the canner and the refrigerator is on labels that stay on.