Does the sugar I add to cut the acidity count as added sugar?

Yes. Sugar you stir in is an added sugar, even a spoonful per batch. In the sample, one tablespoon across three jars comes out at less than 1 g of added sugars per serving. The natural sugars from tomatoes and onions count in total sugars only.

Can I sell my pasta sauce in stores without a process review?

Not as a shelf-stable acidified sauce. FDA expects a scheduled process set by a qualified expert, plant registration and a process filing for each jar size. A sauce that is stored, shipped and sold under refrigeration falls outside the acidified food rules, but the label parts stay the same.

Is there a free pasta sauce label template?

Yes: download our blank Nutrition Facts templates for free (fillable PDF, Word, SVG, PNG), or start from the garlic parmesan sauce above, which is already complete. Change it to your recipe at no cost; you pay $29 only for the print files.

I sell marinara, vodka sauce and arrabbiata. How many labels?

Three, one per recipe, because the numbers and the allergens differ: the cream in a vodka sauce adds milk. The 3-label bundle costs $69, and credits never expire.

Pasta Sauce Label

Pasta sauce label requirements fit on one jar: the name of the sauce, the net weight in both ounces and grams, every ingredient with the store-bought parts broken out, a Contains line when there is cheese in the pot, the maker's name and address and, without an exemption, Nutrition Facts. Serving size: the cup measure nearest 125 g, which for most sauces is 1/2 cup. Enter your marinara or pasta sauce recipe and get a back label sized for your jar.

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Pasta sauce label on a 24 oz glass jar of garlic parmesan sauce with a Nutrition Facts panel: 80 calories and 270 mg sodium per 1/2 cup

Checklist

What has to be on your pasta sauce label

The jar's front carries the name and the weight. The wrap or back label carries the rest, numbered to match the example.

Front label

KETTLE COOKED · SMALL BATCHGarlic ParmesanPasta Sauce

NET WT 24 OZ (1 LB 8 OZ) 680g

Back label

Nutrition Facts

about 5 servings per container

Serving size1/2 cup (125g)

Calories80

Total Fat 4.5g6%

Saturated Fat 1g5%

Trans Fat 0g

Cholesterol Less than 5mg1%

Sodium 270mg12%

Total Carb. 8g3%

Dietary Fiber 2g7%

Total Sugars 5g

Incl. Added Sugars Less than 1g2%

Protein 2g

Vitamin D 0mcg0%

Calcium 50mg4%

Iron 0.6mg4%

Potassium 330mg8%

INGREDIENTS: Tomatoes, tomato sauce (tomato puree, salt, spices), onions, olive oil, parmesan cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes), garlic, sugar, fresh basil, oregano, red pepper.

Allergens: Contains: Milk.

Made by Two Rivers Sauce Co.Pittsburgh, PA 15222

1
Name of the sauce21 CFR 101.3
"Marinara sauce", "Pasta sauce", "Tomato basil sauce", "Arrabbiata sauce". Your brand goes above it; the name says what is in the jar.
2
Net weight21 CFR 101.7
Sauce is thick and chunky, so it goes by weight. At 1 lb or more, the pounds follow in parentheses: NET WT 24 OZ (1 LB 8 OZ) 680g.
3
Nutrition Facts21 CFR 101.9
Per cup measure near 125 g, with the grams. Sodium and added sugars are the lines shoppers compare between jars.
4
Ingredient list21 CFR 101.4
Heaviest first, measured as the sauce is made. Canned tomato sauce, puree or a cheese you buy in shows its own ingredients in parentheses.
5
Allergen statementFALCPA
Parmesan, ricotta or cream: milk. Anchovies in a puttanesca: anchovy. Pine nuts or walnuts stirred in: name the nut.
6
Name and address21 CFR 101.5
Whoever made, packed or distributes the sauce, plus city, state and ZIP. Sauce made by a co-packer under your brand? "Distributed by" plus your address.Co-Packer →

Pasta sauce rules

Things that are different for pasta sauce

125 gServing: the cup measure near 125 gFDA groups spaghetti sauce, marinara and white clam sauce as major main entree sauces, with a 125 g reference amount, declared in cups with the grams. Most sauces land on 1/2 cup. A chunky sauce with vegetables can weigh more per cup, so weigh a level 1/2 cup of your own.21 CFR 101.12(b); FDA RACC product list

pH 4.7Tomatoes have their own lineFor most foods, low-acid starts above pH 4.6. Tomatoes and tomato products get a special rule: below pH 4.7 they are not classed as low-acid. FDA also tells its inspectors that some newer tomato varieties reach pH 4.7 or more, which can pull a sauce into the low-acid or acidified rules.21 CFR 114.3(d); FDA Compliance Program 7303.070

Add-insOnions, peppers and cheese change the mathThe acidified food rules leave out acid foods and condiment sauces with only small amounts of low-acid food, as long as their pH stays close to the acid base. Pile in onions, peppers, mushrooms or cheese and hold the pH down with lemon juice or citric acid, and the sauce may become an acidified food. A process authority, a qualified expert in acidified foods, makes that call and sets your process.21 CFR 114.3(b), 114.83Process Authority →

FCE + SIDA shelf-stable acidified sauce gets filed with FDAA commercial processor registers the plant on Form FDA 2541 within 10 days of starting, which gives it an FCE number. Each sauce in each jar size then gets its own process filing on Form FDA 2541e, identified by an SID. Production runs under a supervisor who completed an FDA-approved school, and every jar carries a code for the plant, the product and when it was packed.21 CFR 108.25(c), (f); 114.80(b)

MeatBolognese and meat sauceA sauce made with meat can fall under USDA's meat inspection instead of FDA, and the FDA acidified food registration does not apply to food made under continuous USDA inspection. For a meat sauce, check with USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service first. Our tool makes FDA labels.21 CFR 108.25(h)

HomeSelling sauce from a home kitchenState cottage food laws decide this, and each draws its own line for jarred sauces. Michigan's list, for one, leaves out canned fruits and vegetables and sauces like barbecue sauce and ketchup.Michigan Cottage Food Law →

Sizes

Pasta sauce jars and the label that fits

A tall jar has room for the standard panel. Squat jars and deli tubs need a wider or shorter one. Measure the flat area and switch styles in the tool.

Pasta sauce jars and the label that fits
Container	Typical label area	Style that usually fits
16 oz deli tub (fresh, refrigerated)	4 in round lid	Simplified
16 oz squat jar	6 × 2.5 in	Tabular (wide)
24 oz sauce jar	3 × 4.5 in	Standard (vertical)Most common
32 oz jar	3.5 × 5 in	Standard (vertical)Avery 5168

Sample recipe included

Start from a garlic parmesan sauce that's already filled in

Three pounds of fresh tomatoes plus a base of canned tomato sauce, simmered down to 72 oz: exactly three 24 oz jars. We entered that cooked weight, so every serving carries its share of the batch. Leave out the parmesan and the Contains line disappears; swap the sugar for a grated carrot and the added sugars line goes to zero.

Start with this recipe

Start from a garlic parmesan sauce that's already filled in
Ingredient	Amount	Unit
Tomatoes✓ USDA match	3	lb
Tomato sauce✓ USDA match	3	cups
Olive oil✓ USDA match	1/4	cup
Onion✓ USDA match	1	cup
Garlic✓ USDA match	10	cloves
Parmesan✓ USDA match	1/2	cup
Fresh basil✓ USDA match	1/2	cup
Granulated sugar✓ USDA match	1	tbsp
Dried oregano✓ USDA match	1	tsp
Cayenne pepper✓ USDA match	1/4	tsp

Makes 3 jars (24 oz) after simmering to 72 ozServing 1/2 cup (125 g); reference amount 125 g

Questions