Everything that has to be on the label

A spice label is one of the simpler ones in food, and it has a single trap that catches nearly everybody.

The checklist

Statement of identity. The common or usual name of the food.

Net quantity of contents. A net weight for spice, on the principal display panel.

Ingredient list. Required where there is more than one ingredient, in descending order of predominance by weight.

Allergen declaration where any major allergen is present.

Name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer or distributor.

A single spice needs four of those. A blend needs all five.

The spice-specific rule

Paprika, turmeric and saffron are colors as well as spices and must be declared as "spice and coloring" unless declared by their own common or usual name.

The collective term "spices" is otherwise allowed in an ingredient list. Using it while one of those three is present is the mistake, and naming them outright is the fix.

Panel placement

Identity and net weight go on the principal display panel, the face a customer sees. Ingredients, allergens and your name and address go there or on the information panel immediately to its right.

On a 4 oz jar this is tight. Check the label panel dimensions before ordering jars, because a design that does not fit is a jar problem rather than a design problem.

Things to add that are not required

A lot code, which is the difference between a contained problem and an existential one if anything is ever recalled upstream. A best-before reflecting flavor rather than safety, since dry spice does not become unsafe. And the grind or pack date if you can stand behind it, because it is the one claim a large producer cannot match.

State cottage food regimes frequently add a required statement in prescribed wording about production in an uninspected home kitchen. Check yours; the wording is usually not yours to choose.

References