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Pesto Label

Pesto label requirements: a name, a net weight, ingredients that usually open with the oil, a Contains line that names the nut and the milk, who made it and where and, unless an exemption applies, Nutrition Facts per 1/4 cup. Fresh pesto has to stay cold, so put Keep refrigerated where buyers see it. Enter your recipe and get a label for your tub or jar.

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Pesto label on a 6 oz tub of fresh basil pesto with a Keep Refrigerated front and a Nutrition Facts panel: 330 calories per 1/4 cup, Contains: Milk, Pine nuts
Checklist

What has to be on your pesto label

The tub lid or the front holds the name and the weight; the side or back holds the rest. The numbers match the example.

Front label
FRESH · KEEP REFRIGERATEDBasilPesto
NET WT 6 OZ (170g)
Back label
Nutrition Facts
about 3 servings per container
Serving size1/4 cup (60g)
Calories330
Total Fat 34g44%
Saturated Fat 5g25%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 10mg3%
Sodium 330mg14%
Total Carb. 4g1%
Dietary Fiber Less than 1g2%
Total Sugars 0g
Incl. Added Sugars 0g0%
Protein 5g
Vitamin D 0.1mcg0%
Calcium 120mg10%
Iron 1.1mg6%
Potassium 120mg2%
INGREDIENTS: Olive oil, parmesan cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes), fresh basil, pine nuts, lemon juice, garlic, salt.
Allergens: Contains: Milk, Pine nuts.
Made by Basilico Fresh FoodsPortland, OR 97209
  1. 1
    Name21 CFR 101.3
    "Basil pesto", "Walnut pesto", "Kale pesto", "Sun-dried tomato pesto". Lead with the ingredient that makes yours different.
  2. 2
    Net weight21 CFR 101.7
    Pesto is thick, so it goes by weight: NET WT 6 OZ (170g), in the bottom 30% of the front.
  3. 3
    Nutrition Facts21 CFR 101.9
    Per 1/4 cup with the grams. Expect big fat numbers: pesto is mostly oil, cheese and nuts.
  4. 4
    Ingredient list21 CFR 101.4
    Heaviest first, as weighed into the processor. Parmesan shows its own ingredients in parentheses.
  5. 5
    Allergen statementFALCPA
    Milk for the cheese, and the nut by its name: pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, cashews. Not just tree nuts.
  6. 6
    Name and address21 CFR 101.5
    The maker or packer, plus city, state and ZIP. Made for you by a commissary kitchen? "Distributed by" works.
Pesto rules

Things that are different for pesto

1/4 cupServing: pesto is a minor main entree sauceFDA puts pesto with pizza sauce and Alfredo: a 1/4 cup reference amount, labeled as 1/4 cup with the grams. The sample uses 60 g. A pesto heavy on cheese and nuts weighs more per spoon, so weigh a level 1/4 cup of your own.21 CFR 101.12(b), Table 2
Oil firstBasil is rarely the first ingredientThe list goes by weight, not by volume or flavor. Two cups of basil leaves weigh less than half a cup of olive oil, and in the sample even the grated parmesan outweighs them. So the label reads olive oil, parmesan cheese, fresh basil.21 CFR 101.4(a)(1)
Pine nutsPine nuts are a tree nut, named by nameFDA's tree nut list includes pine nut (pinon nut), so the sample reads Contains: Milk, Pine nuts. Swap in walnuts and it reads Contains: Milk, Walnuts. Make a nut-free pesto with sunflower seeds and only milk is left, since seeds like these are not among the nine.21 U.S.C. 343(w); FDA allergen guidance, Edition 5FDA Major Food Allergens →
44% DVA quarter cup carries a lot of fatThe sample pesto has 34 g of fat per 1/4 cup, 44% of the Daily Value, and 5 g of saturated fat from the cheese and oil. Our tool rounds every line and works out the percentages, so a heavy panel is still an exact one.21 CFR 101.9(c)(2), (c)(8), (c)(9)Start a label →
ColdFresh pesto is a refrigerated foodWSU Extension says pesto made with fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts and oil must be refrigerated. FDA's Food Code counts garlic-in-oil mixtures as food that needs time and temperature control, unless they are changed so pathogens cannot grow or form toxins. Want a jar that keeps at room temperature? Talk to a process authority before you print.FDA Food Code, 1-201.10Process Authority →
41°FPesto from a home kitchenCheck your state before you sell homemade pesto. Wisconsin needs a license for it, even though its home canning exception covers pickles and kimchi. South Dakota allows sauces and pesto that need temperature control after food safety training, kept at 41°F or below.Wisconsin Cottage Food Law →
Sizes

Pesto tubs, jars and the label that fits

Tubs often carry the panel on the side, jars on a wrap. Measure the flat area and switch styles in the tool.

ContainerTypical label areaStyle that usually fits
6 oz deli tub4 in round lidSimplifiedSample
7 oz glass jar5 × 1.75 inTabular (wide)
8 oz deli tub4.5 in round lidStandard (vertical)
16 oz food service tub3.5 × 5 inStandard (vertical)Avery 5168
Sample recipe included

Start from a basil pesto that's already filled in

A classic basil pesto, blitzed in one go. Nothing cooks, so no weight after cooking: the batch is what goes into the processor. Swap the pine nuts for walnuts or sunflower seeds and watch the Contains line change with them.

Start with this recipe
IngredientAmountUnit
Fresh basil✓ USDA match2cups
Olive oil✓ USDA match1/2cup
Parmesan✓ USDA match1/2cup
Pine nuts✓ USDA match1/3cup
Garlic✓ USDA match2cloves
Lemon juice✓ USDA match1tbsp
Salt✓ USDA match1/4tsp
Makes about 9.7 oz, 1½ tubs (6 oz)Serving 1/4 cup (60 g); reference amount 1/4 cup
Questions

Pesto label questions

Name the milk and the exact nut: "Contains: Milk, Pine nuts." A pesto with both almonds and pine nuts names both. "Contains tree nuts" on its own does not meet the rule.

Related pages

PRODUCTPasta Sauce LabelPRODUCTSauce Label MakerGUIDEFDA Major Food AllergensGUIDEAllergen Labeling Requirements (FALCPA)STATESouth Dakota Cottage Food LawTEMPLATESFree Nutrition LabelsLABEL MAKERNutrition Label Generator

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