FDA Nutrition Label Requirements

[TheCarolinian]

Hi Everyone,
Forgive me if these are dumb questions. How does the FDA verify the accuracy of nutrition labels? What penalties are there if the information is inaccurate? Will sending samples off to labs really be necessary? Thanks for info.

[TheCarolinian]

I found this:

N30. Can I use “average” values derived from data bases to determine the nutrient content of my product?

Answer: FDA has not stated how a company should determine the nutrient content of their product for labeling purposes. Therefore, there is no prohibition
from using “average” values for its product derived from data bases if a manufacturer is confident that the values obtained meet FDA's compliance criteria. Regardless of its source, a company is responsible for the accuracy and the com pliance of the information presented on the label. Use of a data base that has been accepted by FDA affords a firm some measure of security in that the agency has stated that it will work with industry to resolve any compliance problems that might arise for food labeled on the basis of a data base that the agency has accepted. A manual entitled FDA Nutrition Labeling Manual: A Guide for Developing and Using Databases is available online.

Here: http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegu.../ucm064894.htm

I also found another source saying that the law allows 20% variance in whatever is on the label. It seems like I could just make some really good educated guesses and not have to spend a dime on this, but I see everyone else is more concerned than I am, so maybe I'm missing something?