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How To Obtain A Nutritional Analysis: An Ebook From Esha

This document compares options for obtaining a nutritional analysis: laboratory analysis, nutrition analysis software, and hiring a consultant. Laboratory analysis provides the most accurate results but takes time and costs $199-$800 per analysis. Nutrition analysis software is faster, allows unlimited adjustments, and has lower long-term costs than laboratories, though results may be less precise. Consultants offer added services for $300-$1,000 per analysis but rely on software tools for nutritional calculations. The best option depends on needs for accuracy, time, and budget.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)

68 views9 pages

How To Obtain A Nutritional Analysis: An Ebook From Esha

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Boban

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HOW TO OBTAIN A NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS

AN E-BOOK FROM ESHA.

Congratulations. You’ve invented the world’s perfect food.
And now you want to market it to the masses. There are myriad
steps you’ll have to take to get from here to conquering the market,
and we can offer you help with an important one: Obtaining
nutritional analysis and labeling of your product.

Current federal regulations require nutrition labels for “all products

intended for human consumption and offered for sale” minus a few
exemptions (fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, etc. for example) [Code
of Federal Regulations 101.9(a)]. So you’re going to need, at a
minimum, nutritional analysis for the required nutrients. What
these are depends on what country your product will be sold in,
but generally include Calories (Energy), Fats, Carbohydrates,
Protein, Sodium and other vitamins or minerals.

Your options are:

1. Laboratory analysis;
2. Nutrition analysis software;
3. Contracting with a consultant;

This paper compares the pros and cons of your options by discussing
the cost, time, accuracy and/or additional aspects of each.

www.esha.com
800-659-3742 |1
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Laboratory Analysis
Pro: Versatility
One advantage of laboratory analysis is that it can be used for many purposes
including analysis for labeling and verifying supplier data. You send in a sample of
your product and the laboratory returns an analysis obtained through scientific
methods.

Labs can analyze all ingredients for all nutrients. If your product contains a fruit
nobody’s ever heard of, if you’re looking for the amount of Taurine in your product, if
you want to see if there are GMOs in your granola bar, laboratory analysis can tell you
this.

Pro: Other services

Often, labs offer complementary services to go along with the analysis. These include
ingredient statements, allergen declarations, and more. In fact, most labs will
generate a camera-ready Nutrition Facts panel either as part of the analysis package
or for an additional fee.

www.esha.com
800-659-3742 |2
Con: Cost
Lab analysis can range anywhere from $199 to $800, depending on the
product, what you’re analyzing for, and what extras you want. Also, each
time you add an ingredient or alter an ingredient’s amount, you have to pay
for a new analysis.

However, if you’re only looking for a one-time simple analysis and don’t plan
on changing anything in the future, lab analysis might be what you want.

Con: Time
Lab analyses take time. First, physical samples of your product have to get
from you to the lab, by mail, courier, or other means. Then, the lab has to do
the work of analysis. Finally, the results have to come back to you. At the very
least, you’re looking at one day, and this assumes every step goes smoothly.
More likely, you’re looking at a week or two.

There are exceptions, of course. Some labs do offer one-day turn-around.

You might wonder how this is possible.

Here’s a secret: They use nutritional analysis software.

www.esha.com
800-659-3742 |3
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Nutritional Analysis Software

Pro: Time
Using nutrition analysis software is fast. You enter search terms for an ingredient (example: bananas), select the closest
match (example: Banana, large, without peel), enter the measure (example: 14 each) and continue in the same manner
for the remaining ingredients. The software calculates the per-serving amount of each required nutrient and spits out
the information in a variety of reports, including a camera-ready Nutrition Facts panel. Some of your ingredients may
not be in the database, so you will have to add them, if the software allows you to do so. This does increase the time, of
course, but not by much. And the higher-end programs will most likely have any ingredient you need.

Pro: Virtual tweaks

If you don’t like what you see after the analysis (too much fat?), you can easily experiment with ingredient amounts.
Maybe you want to see how much the fat will decrease if you reduce the amount of almonds. Change the numbers in
your formula and the software recalculates the analysis for you.

Pro: Government regulatory compliance

This can be a little tricky because the Code of Federal Regulations for nutrition labeling is hundreds of pages long. The
good news is most high-end software programs have the regulations built in. You should be able to create a label that
conforms to the layout standards, the nutrient standards, and the rounding rules. Some software packages even
calculate what Nutrient Content Claims (example: “High in Fiber”) you can safely use. Currently, the U.S. Government
does not certify any particular method of nutrition label creation, but it does recognize the validity of using software.

For additional assurance, it’s a good idea to look for software that has a built-in data check, which assesses if your values make
sense and that the numbers add up.

www.esha.com
800-659-3742 |4
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Pro: Unlimited use

The software is yours. You can use it once or a thousand times.
Plus, ownership allows for team collaboration and workflow
integration. With software, you can expand your operation
more quickly and easily.

Pro/Con: Accuracy
Software analysis cannot, of course, be as precise as laboratory
analysis. And you have to be really careful about which
software you choose. High-quality software will have an extensive
and accurate food database — one that is verified and frequently
updated — that includes obscure items and processing
ingredients. The software should be as close to laboratory analysis
as possible and will offer what labs offer: Nutrition Facts creation
using the latest in government standards, Ingredient Statements,
Allergen declarations and more.

How can you be sure you’re getting the best software? Hint: Look at what the labs and top food and beverage companies use.

Pro/Con: Cost
The cost of high-quality software can be daunting, that is until you compare it to lab analysis. Consider this. Analysis for
10 products at $800 a pop equals $8,000. Ouch. So, while the up-front costs may seem high, you can easily see how
you’d save money over the long haul. Something else to look at is subscription pricing. Many software companies are
now moving to a month-to-month payment system in order to make their software affordable. This is a good option for
smaller businesses or tight budgets. Remember to ask about this when you’re considering nutrition software

www.esha.com
800-659-3742 |5
Consultants
Pro: Added value
Most consultants use some sort of nutrition analysis software to help them create Nutrition Facts panels. So they’re not
going to be more or less accurate in terms of analysis. However, they’re going to have extra knowledge and offer added
services. For example, a consultant may have extensive experience with government regulations and may offer to review
your packaging design and suggest changes. Or they might have access to a printer that specializes in package design.
Whether to use a consultant is going to depend on what you ultimately need.

Con: Cost
Consultant services and pricing vary widely, again, depending on what
you’re looking for, but you will, at a minimum, be charged for analysis
and Nutrition Facts creation. Somewhere around $300. For a full label
with Allergens and Ingredient Statements, you might be looking at
$1,000. And costs will go up from there.

Additional services could be billed at an hourly rate. Again, this depends on

your needs. Consultant fees vary from $40 per hour all the way up to $275
per hour.

www.esha.com
800-659-3742 |6
Conclusion

Obtaining nutrient analysis and creating a government-compliant Nutrition Facts label can initially appear to
overwhelming task.

But you’ve seen here there are options available to you that can simplify the process quite a bit.

Again, when choosing the solution that’s right for you, remember to look at cost, time, accuracy, and your
particular needs.

www.esha.com
800 -659 -3742 |7
ESHA Research has been the leading provider of nutrition
databases, food and supplement labeling, and nutrition
analysis software solutions for more than 30 years. Our team
of consultants are knowledgeable in nutrition, labeling, and
regulatory compliance, ensuring your unique needs are met.