FDA serving size and RACC rules
Serving sizes must reflect what people customarily eat, set by FDA's RACC values — plus when dual-column and single-serving rules apply.
Serving size comes from the RACC
Serving sizes must reflect the amount people customarily eat, not a portion the manufacturer chooses. FDA fixes this through its Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed (RACCs), one per food category. The serving-size rules were updated by the 2016 final rule.
How the serving is shown
The label states the number of servings per container and the serving size in a common household measure plus grams — so a shopper sees both how many servings are in the pack and how big each one is.
Dual-column labeling
A product packaged and sold individually that contains at least 200 percent and up to and including 300 percent of its reference amount must carry two columns: one per serving, the serving size derived from the reference amount, and one for the entire package (21 CFR 101.9(b)(12)(i)). So 200, 250 and 300 percent each need both columns, while 199 percent is a single serving (below).
The rule has exceptions, listed in 101.9(b)(12)(i)(A)–(C) — for example products that qualify for the small-package tabular or linear formats, raw fruits, vegetables and seafood labeled voluntarily, and products that already carry a second column under paragraph (e), such as an "as prepared" column; the paragraph gives the full list.
Above 300 percent this rule no longer requires the per-package column and the label is declared per serving; other provisions of 101.9 can still require or allow another column.
Each threshold is a percentage of the reference amount, measured on the whole package. It is not the "servings per container" printed on the panel, which is counted from the declared serving size and rounded to the nearest whole number, or to the nearest half serving between 2 and 5 servings (21 CFR 101.9(b)(8)(i)).
Single-serving and "as prepared"
A product packaged and sold individually that contains less than 200 percent of its reference amount is a single-serving container: the entire content is labeled as one serving (21 CFR 101.9(b)(6)). If it contains more than 150 percent and less than 200 percent, the label may also carry, voluntarily, a column per the common household measure closest to the reference amount, to the left of the per-container column; the package is still one serving.
Foods that need preparation can show "as packaged" and "as prepared" columns.
In LabelYog, choosing the product's category fills in the reference amount LabelYog holds for that category as the serving size, which you can change. On a US label, the step-9 preview, the label view and the print PDF then warn when the serving differs from that reference amount by more than 5 percent, when the pack is less than 200 percent of it (the whole package is the serving) and when it is from 200 up to and including 300 percent (both columns are required). LabelYog gives none of these warnings in eight categories it treats as outside 101.9 (infant formula and follow-on milk, medical-food formulas and oral nutrition supplements, and protein, creatine and amino-acid powders). LabelYog does not put the per-package column on your label by itself: the per-container dual-column format is one you choose.
Sources
These thresholds were read at source on 21 October 2026 in 21 CFR 101.9 (eCFR, current to 19 October 2026), and FDA's consumer update below was read the same day as corroboration, not as the rule.
- 21 CFR 101.9(b)(2)(i)(D) — eCFR
- 21 CFR 101.9(b)(6) — eCFR
- 21 CFR 101.9(b)(8) — eCFR
- 21 CFR 101.9(b)(12) — eCFR
- FDA consumer update (corroboration, not the rule): Food Serving Sizes Have a Reality Check
At a glance
- Serving size derived from the category RACC
- Servings per container stated
- Serving size in household measure plus grams
- Per-serving and per-package columns at 200 up to and including 300 percent of the reference amount, unless an exception applies (101.9(b)(12))
- Single-serving or "as prepared" columns applied correctly
Questions
What is a RACC?
The Reference Amount Customarily Consumed — the amount FDA sets for each food category, from which the serving size is derived.
Can I choose my own serving size?
No. It must reflect what people customarily eat, based on the RACC for the product category, not a portion you pick.
When is dual-column labeling required?
Under 21 CFR 101.9(b)(12)(i), when a product packaged and sold individually contains at least 200 percent and up to and including 300 percent of its reference amount: one column per serving and one for the entire package, unless an exception applies — for example the small-package tabular or linear formats. A product packaged and sold individually with less than 200 percent of its reference amount is a single serving (21 CFR 101.9(b)(6)). Above 300 percent the (b)(12) rule no longer applies, though other provisions of 101.9 can still require or allow another column, whatever the pack size. In a product sold in discrete units, such as muffins, a unit weighing at least 200 percent and up to and including 300 percent of the reference amount likewise needs a per-unit column beside the per-serving one, with the same exceptions (21 CFR 101.9(b)(2)(i)(D)).
When can a package be a single serving?
When it is packaged and sold individually and contains less than 200 percent of its reference amount: it must then be labeled as one serving (21 CFR 101.9(b)(6)). From more than 150 percent to less than 200 percent it may add a voluntary column per household measure, but it is still one serving.
Can LabelYog set the serving size for me?
Yes — choosing the product's category fills in the reference amount LabelYog holds for that category as the serving size, which you can change. On a US label LabelYog then warns when the serving differs from that reference amount by more than 5 percent, and when the pack is less than 200 percent or from 200 up to and including 300 percent of it. It gives none of these warnings in eight categories it treats as outside 101.9 (infant formula and follow-on milk, medical-food formulas and oral nutrition supplements, and protein, creatine and amino-acid powders). LabelYog does not put the per-package column on your label by itself: the per-container dual-column format is one you choose.
You can try the free tools without an account, read what a paid plan adds on pricing, or see how we compare with other label software before deciding anything. Every market we build for has a rule-book page of its own.
Unlimited labels on the free plan. No card required.