SKU: 210BQKEAT2

Food trucks are more popular than ever. However, the laws surrounding food truck operations are not as well defined and clear as they are for other restaurants. When you choose packaging for your food, signs for your menu, or any other display related to food truck food, there are specific labeling laws that you have to abide by. Here is what you need to know about food truck labeling laws.

What Laws Apply to Food Trucks

Every state is a bit different in their regulations. The most common regulation related to food trucks that varies by state is the locations food trucks are allowed to park in. This can even go down to the city and municipal level.

Labeling laws are overseen by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is governed on the national/federal level. If you run a food truck, you must meet the FDA’s labeling guidelines as well as any other guidelines set out by cities, states, and municipalities that you operate in.

To find the relevant laws for this, look at the FDA’s MFE (mobile food establishment) regulations. Not all of them apply to food trucks in every case, but it is a good place to start.

Single-Serve Packaging Only

SKU: 210APUREC1200BR

In many cases, food trucks are required to use single-serve packaging as their only option. In general, food trucks are not properly equipped to clean and sterilize reusable serving containers, which means that single-serve is the only option. Fortunately, there are many single-serve container options available.

No Calorie Labeling

Food trucks are not required to label foods with calorie and nutrition labels like restaurants do. In essence, food trucks are considered a special class of food similar to daily specials. Since the food can change substantially day-to-day, listing calories and nutrition facts may not be feasible.

However, this does not mean that your food truck does not have to have nutrition and allergy information on hand. For safety reasons, you must have a binder with information about food allergies and other potential issues in the truck at all times. Even if this was not mandated, it is a good idea anyway. You always want to put the safety of the customers first.

Optional Labeling

If your food truck sells food options that can be problematic for people, you can always label your food anyway. For example, serving peanut-flavored foods can trigger allergies. Having a label on your truck or on food containers with allergens in them is a good idea. This is especially true if you pre-package your food. It will help you avoid mixups.

Get Single-Serve and Labeling Supplies From PacknWood

Making sure you have the right single-serve and labeling resources is an important part of your food truck business. PacknWood can help you with both of those needs. Call us at +1 (201) 604-3840 or send us a message through our website. We have a wide selection of eco-friendly single-serve items, as well as labeling items for your food truck