Does cotton candy sold at fairs need a label?

Not Nutrition Facts when you spin it to order and hand it over to eat right away, and make no nutrition claims. Bags and tubs you fill ahead to sell later, in a store or online, need the full label. Your state and county may have their own permit and label rules for events.

Do I need a separate label for each flavor?

Yes, when the ingredients differ, and with flavor concentrates and colors they almost always do. Each flavor is one label in our tool. Packs of 3 or 10 labels bring the price per label down.

Can I put the label on a tub lid?

We export rectangular labels at actual size, not round lid stickers. Most tubs have a flat side that takes a Tabular or Small package panel; measure it and pick the format that fits.

Is there a free cotton candy label template?

Yes. Our blank Nutrition Facts and ingredient label templates are free as fillable PDF, Word, SVG and PNG. The maple sample on this page is already filled in; swap in your own mix in the free preview.

Cotton Candy Label

Cotton candy labels need the name, the net weight, an ingredient list, your name and address and, for bags and tubs you pack ahead, Nutrition Facts per 1 oz serving. Floss spun to order at a fair stand and eaten on the spot is food service and needs no Nutrition Facts. Packed floss is where the tub size matters: a 2 oz tub is one serving, a 3 oz tub needs two columns. Enter your sugar mix and see which label your package gets.

Start with this recipe Dual column labels

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Cotton candy label on a clear 4 oz bag of maple cotton candy with a twist tie, a front sticker and a Nutrition Facts panel showing 110 calories per 1 oz

Checklist

What has to be on your cotton candy label

Bag or tub, the same six parts. The numbers match the bag on the left.

Front label

SPUN FRESHMapleCotton Candy

NET WT 4 OZ (113g)

Back label

Nutrition Facts

about 4 servings per container

Serving size1 oz (28g)

Calories110

Total Fat 0g0%

Sodium 0mg0%

Total Carb. 28g10%

Total Sugars 27g

Incl. Added Sugars 27g54%

Protein 0g

Not a significant source of saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, dietary fiber, vitamin D, calcium, iron and potassium.

INGREDIENTS: Sugar, maple sugar.

Allergens: none of the 9 major food allergens.

Spun by Sugar Cloud TreatsBurlington, VT 05401

1
Name of the candy21 CFR 101.3
"Cotton candy", with the flavor if you sell more than one: "Blue raspberry cotton candy", "Maple cotton candy".
2
Net weight21 CFR 101.7
Ounces and grams in the bottom 30% of the front. Floss is light and bulky, so weigh it: a full looking tub can hold less than you think.
3
Nutrition Facts21 CFR 101.9
Per 1 oz for bags, per tub for small tubs, both columns for mid-size tubs. Small sellers can be exempt.
4
Ingredient list21 CFR 101.4
Heaviest first. Premixed floss sugar and flavor concentrates bring their own ingredients, colors included.
5
Allergen statementFALCPA
Plain sugar floss has none of the 9 major allergens. Check flavor concentrates and toppings, and name any allergen they contain.
6
Name and address21 CFR 101.5
Who made or packed it, with city, state and ZIP.

Cotton candy rules

Things that are different for cotton candy

1 ozServing size: 1 oz of flossFDA's product list does not name cotton candy. It is not a hard candy, a mint or a baking candy, so we label it under all other candies: a 30 g reference amount. Bagged floss is a bulk candy, so the serving is in ounces, in steps of 0.5 oz: 1 oz (28g).21 CFR 101.12(b), Table 2; 101.9(b)(5)(iii)

2 ozA small tub is one servingA tub sold on its own that holds less than 200% of the reference amount, under 60 g, is a single-serving container. A 2 oz (57g) tub is labeled as one serving: the whole tub.21 CFR 101.9(b)(6)

3 ozA mid-size tub gets two columnsFrom 60 g up to 90 g, the label shows a column per 1 oz serving and a column for the whole tub. A 3 oz (85g) tub lands right here. Our Dual column format makes this panel.21 CFR 101.9(b)(12)(i)

On the spotSpun to order at eventsFood sold by vendors like sidewalk carts, where it is eaten right away or while walking off, does not need Nutrition Facts, as long as you make no nutrition claims. Bags you fill ahead for stores, markets or online orders do.21 CFR 101.9(j)(2)(ii)

Blue 1Colors go in by namePink and blue floss usually gets its color from certified colors. Each one is named in the ingredient list, like Red 40 or Blue 1, with "Lake" added for lakes. Colors that need no certification may read "color added" or their own name.21 CFR 101.22(k)

PremixPremixed floss sugarA bought premix is an ingredient with ingredients. Name it and list what is in it in parentheses, or list each of its ingredients in the main list. Take a photo of the supplier label and our tool reads the numbers for you to check.21 CFR 101.4(b)(2)

Sizes

Cotton candy packaging and the label that fits

The package size changes the panel, not just the sticker. Here is where the common sizes land.

Cotton candy packaging and the label that fits
Package	Typical label area	Style that usually fits
1 oz bag or cone sleeve	3 × 1½ in	Small package (linear), 1 serving
2 oz tub	3 × 2 in on the side	Tabular (wide), 1 serving
3 oz tub	3 × 3 in on the side	Dual column, per 1 oz and per tub
4 oz bag	3 × 4 in	Standard (vertical)Avery 5164

Sample recipe included

Start from a maple cotton candy mix

Spinning melts sugar without adding water, so the floss weighs close to the sugar you pour in. Lose some to the bowl? Weigh what you bag and enter it as the batch weight. Using a flavor concentrate or a premix? Add it from the supplier's label as a custom ingredient.

Start with this recipe

Start from a maple cotton candy mix
Ingredient	Amount	Unit
Sugar✓ USDA match	3	cups
Maple sugar✓ USDA match	1	cup

Makes about 26.2 oz of floss, enough for 6 bags of 4 ozServing 1 oz (28 g)

Questions