Lightning Labels Blog

2020 FDA Food Label Requirements - Are You Compliant?

While there's never a bad time to check on your brand's compliance with Food and Drug Administration labeling standards, the new year can serve as an especially strong reminder to verify that everything is up to date.

Whether you're concentrating on the latest FDA rules or taking a long view of every possible regulatory issue, you can feel a sense of confidence facing the months ahead. Fines and potential recalls could put a damper on your company's 2020 success, so a great year starts with compliance.

Nutrition Facts: The New Style

The most significant recent change to labels for food is the debut of the revised nutrition facts panel.

How Are Brands Using Consecutive Numbered Labels?

Identifying a specific item as part of a production run can have a few important benefits, whether businesses are mostly numbering the goods for their own internal use or for customers to see. Consecutive numbered labels are the simplest way to achieve this goal, with each package getting its own unique number.

When companies work with a labeling provider that uses all-digital printing methods and can therefore make every label in a print run different, they can even implement unique numbers into fully-designed custom product labels rather than sticking them on separately. However businesses plan on implementing consecutive numbering, they can boost the appeal of their products with the simple addition of these identifiers.

Merle Vigil Leads The Way

Merle Vigil is a natural leader. He is the lead for a team of five new business development sales representatives, who follow-up and consult with new Lightning Labels prospects on a daily basis. It’s a consultative sales approach, and the team partners with a highly diverse customer base to build long-lasting relationships.

Before joining Lightning Labels in 2016, Merle managed several restaurants for about 11 years, and transitioned into sales in the years after.  He subsequently sold and managed remodel and exterior home projects, for a few years before joining Lightning Labels.

When asked about the favorite part of his job, Merle replied: “This is simple, I love working with peopl

Do You Know About Our Satin Cloth Labels?

When you're working on new or revised labels for products in bottles or jars, it can be tempting to just think about the designs in terms of imagery, text and other two-dimensional features. However, to truly enhance your items' appeal to customers, you can also change the way the labels feel in their hands by selecting high-quality label materials.

Satin cloth labels, ideal for use in the wine and spirits sector, are designed to provide a great tactile sensation that shows the classy and refined character of the products in question. If you select this option, it can help your offerings stand out from similar goods on store shelves, and potentially make those items more memorable to people choosing between several brands

How Are CBD Brands Using QR Codes on Their CBD Product Labels?

CBD product labels are one of the fastest-evolving kinds of product packaging, with new rules and regulations continuously changing the best practices facing brands, and a general lack of standardization existing between states. The Food and Drug Administration has released statements supporting the further exploration of CBD product approvals, but while that process is ongoing, producers and distributors have to pay close attention to the patchwork rules that exist today.

The use of effective technology such as QR code labels may represent a way for companies to stay in compliance as the laws change around them.

Best Practices For Lip Gloss Labels

When you're designing labels for lip gloss products, whether launching a new line or creating a revamped look for existing items, it pays to select labels that fit the unique size and shape of the containers in question. Whether your brand uses clear bottles with square sides, narrow transparent tubes, or any other form factor, you can and should select custom lip gloss labels that present your logo and product information as succinctly and impactfully as possible.

Making Lip Gloss Sparkle

When shoppers pick up lip gloss, they want to clearly see the color of the product. This means your best bet for lip gloss label design may involve ample transparent sections, for a minimal look that lets the lip gloss itself be the star of the show.

What Does Die-Cut Mean? The Basics of Label Die Cutting

Die cutting is the process by which custom labels get their shape. Whether you want your products' labels to have a simple rectangular or oval shape, or to have a more exciting form, they are cut into shape by a metal "die" during production. This is a high-precision process, one that can yield great results, and when you take full advantage of die cutting's possibilities, you can receive packaging that truly enhances your items and makes them stand out on store shelves.

What Goes into Die Cutting?

Going from rolls of label materials to a finished set of die-cut labels requires special equipment, as well as artwork files that meet requirements.

How Important Are Eco-Friendly Product Labels?

Customers have become more conscientious and careful when selecting products to buy in recent years. People are applying their personal priorities and values when they make their shopping lists. If your brand uses earth-friendly processes to make its items, you can take advantage of the trend toward green commerce.

Marketing and promotion are critical when it comes to conscientious commerce. You should select eco-friendly product labels to reassure your customers that every element of your items, including the packaging, has been made with the environment in mind. Presenting a green image but not choosing sustainable label materials can create dissonant messaging.

Best Labels for White Labeling CBD Oil Products

In the past few years, cannabidiol (CBD) has become one of the most in-demand ingredients for products such as supplements and foods. While interest in CBD has been steadily increasing, the regulatory picture around related items remains unclear. The recent Farm Bill opened the door to increased production of hemp derivatives including CBD, but the Food and Drug Administration has yet to issue exact rulings around the way these products should be packaged and labeled.

If your company is invested in white-labeling CBD products and selling them under your own branding, you have to be aware of the ever-changing legal status of these goods, ready to oblige any new requirements from the FDA and in line with the latest general guidelines.

Dan Stevenson Summits 14ers and a Mountain of Logistics Challenges

Lightning Labels’ Director of Logistics Dan Stevenson is always aiming for the summit, whether it’s climbing 14ers or getting on top of a mountain of responsibilities in the warehouse, shipping and receiving arenas.

“When I started a year ago, 70 jobs to be shipped was a lot. My average now is 130,” says Dan. “I make sure everyone is doing the right jobs to ship out, including slitting, rewinding, die-cutting and printing.”

With the rapid evolution of his department, Dan says he’s no longer the “shipping clerk.” Instead, he’s responsible for a growing staff and making sure that quality control is maintained by paying attention to detail, staying on the move and handling a diverse variety o