Skip to content
Panelry

Spreads

How to label maple syrup to sell

Maple syrup is bottled and sold by fluid ounce, and its serving size is volume-based too: the RACC is 30 mL, printed as 2 tbsp (30 mL), and because syrup is denser than water those 30 mL weigh about 40 g.

What maple syrup labels get wrong

  • Syrup declares net contents in fluid ounces on the front, and the serving size is volume-based as well: the syrups row is 30 mL with a 2 tbsp household measure, printed as 2 tbsp (30 mL) (21 CFR 101.9(b)(7)).
  • Two tablespoons of syrup weighs about 40 g on a scale because of syrup's density; the serving still prints as 2 tbsp (30 mL), but the calories and sugars on the panel are for those 30 mL, so compute them on about 40 g of syrup, not 30 g.
  • Grade names are standardized terms under USDA's voluntary grade standard: “Grade A” plus a color and taste class (Golden Delicate Taste, Amber Rich Taste, Dark Robust Taste, Very Dark Strong Taste) means something specific, whoever prints a U.S. grade is responsible for its accuracy, and several states make grading mandatory under their own maple laws; do not invent your own grade wording.
  • Several maple-producing states regulate maple syrup grading and labeling under their own maple statutes outside cottage food law. Verify whether your state treats syrup as a cottage product or a separately regulated one.

Serving size

Maple syrup uses a 30 mL RACC, printed as 2 tbsp (30 mL); that volume of syrup weighs about 40 g, and the nutrients on the panel are for the full 30 mL. See the RACC lookup for how the FDA sets serving sizes.

Make your maple syrup label

The builder below is loaded with the sample maple syrup recipe. Swap in your own ingredients and amounts, pick your state, and export: the ingredient statement orders itself by weight, the Big-9 allergens are detected including the ones hiding in sub-ingredients, and your state's home-kitchen disclosure is added at the size it requires. Scaling into retail? The nutrition label maker computes the FDA panel from the same recipe for $9.

Edit this recipe below FDA Nutrition Facts panel ($9)

Make your maple syrup label

Loaded with the sample recipe above. Change anything; the label on the right rebuilds as you type.

This is your statement of identity, so use the common name of the food (“Strawberry Rhubarb Jam”). A brand name alone only works when it is obvious what the food is (21 CFR 101.3(b)).

Auto-ordered by weight

Using a packaged product? Tap on its row to pull the sub-ingredients off the label automatically. Or type them yourself in parentheses, like “Chocolate Chips (Sugar, Cocoa, Cocoa Butter)”.

Auto-detected from your ingredients. Tap to add or remove. Always double-check.

This reads your ingredient list only. It cannot know what else your kitchen handles: a shared mixer, flour in the air, one fryer for two products. If an allergen you do not use could still reach this food, that is a “may contain” decision only you can make; it is voluntary, and it never substitutes for declaring an allergen you actually use.

Optional, but it sets how large the net weight has to print. 21 CFR 101.1 measures the principal display panel differently for each shape.

Live preview

Free
Your Product Name
INGREDIENTS: List your ingredients to auto-order them by weight.
Made in a home kitchen.
Label made with Panelry · getpanelry.com/label

Add product name, business name, business address, at least one ingredient, your state, net weight to export a complete label.

Need a Nutrition Facts panel too?

Most home makers are exempt from nutrition labeling under the FDA's small-seller exemption, but it holds only while the label, the listing and your ads carry no nutrition claim or nutrition information at all. One “sugar free” or “high protein” anywhere, including an online listing, and the food needs a full panel (21 CFR 101.9(j)(1)). Panelry builds one from this same recipe: your ingredients and weights carry over, and you match each to a USDA food.

Build your Nutrition Facts panel

Where this goes on the package

The name of the food and the net weight belong on the principal display panel, the face a shopper sees (21 CFR 101.3(a), 101.7(a)). The net weight goes in the bottom 30 percent of that face, unless the face is 5 square inches or smaller (21 CFR 101.7(f)).The ingredient list, allergen statement, your name and address and any nutrition panel may go on that same face or on the information panel, the part of the label immediately to the right of it as the buyer faces the package. If that part is unusable, such as a folded flap or a can end, use the next panel to the right; if the lid is the face, any adjacent panel works (21 CFR 101.2(a), (b)).Wherever they go, they have to appear in one place with nothing in between: no artwork, marketing copy or barcode running between the ingredient list and the address (21 CFR 101.2(e)).

Verify before selling

Cottage-food rules vary by state and change often. Confirm your label against your state's current requirements. Panelry is not legal advice.

Maple Syrup labeling FAQ

Do I need a nutrition label to sell maple syrup?
Typically no for direct farmers-market sales with no claims: the one-line ingredient list, net contents in fluid ounces, your name and place of business, and your state's disclosure cover the jug. Any nutrient claim on the bottle means a full panel. Wholesale does not by itself require a panel: under 21 CFR 101.9(j)(18) a maker with fewer than 10 full-time-equivalent employees selling fewer than 10,000 units of a product a year is exempt without filing anything, a larger small business (under 100 employees and 100,000 units) is exempt after filing a notice with FDA, and any nutrient claim such as “low fat” ends every exemption; a retail buyer may still ask for a panel as a condition of stocking you.
Why does the label say 2 tbsp (30 g) when 2 tbsp of syrup weighs closer to 40 g?
Because the RACC table pairs 2 tbsp with 30 mL for all syrups, and syrup's density makes 30 mL weigh about 40 g. Print 2 tbsp (30 mL) as the serving and base the nutrient numbers on the weight of 30 mL of your syrup; that pairing is what label reviewers expect to see.

More product labeling guides

Verify before selling

Product rules vary by state (especially for maple syrup) and change over time. Confirm with your state's program and official sources. Panelry is not affiliated with any government agency and does not provide legal advice. See our disclaimer.