Do You Need to Display Nutritional Information in Your Online Food Shop?
If you’re selling food products online, it’s essential to understand the rules around displaying nutritional information. These rules vary by region, so let’s break it down for Europe, America, and Canada.
Europe
In Europe, rules say most pre-packed foods must show certain nutritional information. This includes energy (calories), fat, saturates (the “bad” fats), carbohydrate, sugars, protein, and salt. This info should be presented per 100g or 100ml. It needs to be easy to see and read on the website.
United States
In the United States, food products usually have a “Nutrition Facts” label. This label should show things like: calories, total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrate, dietary fiber, total sugars, added sugars, protein, and certain vitamins and minerals. This information should be given per serving. On websites, the label should be clear and easy to find.
Canada
Canada’s rules are similar to the U.S. Most pre-packaged foods must have a “Nutrition Facts” table. This shows: calories, and 13 nutrients: fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrate, fiber, sugars, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium and iron. Again, this info is per serving. Online, the label needs to be easy to read and find.
Remember, there are exceptions. Some products and smaller businesses might not need to show all this info. It’s important to check the local rules for the most up-to-date information.
Practical Solutions for Displaying Nutritional Information in your Shopify Store!
Navigating the world of nutritional labels can seem tough. But don’t worry, there are easy ways to solve this, especially if you’re using an e-commerce platform like Shopify. Here are some suggestions:
- Use Product Images: One simple solution is to upload an image of the product’s nutritional label. It’s straightforward, but it might not be the best for user experience or SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
- Leverage Metafields: Shopify allows you to add extra information to your products using Metafields. You could put the nutritional data in HTML format into a Metafield. However, this would require knowledge of HTML and could be time-consuming to manage, especially for a large number of products.
- Use a Dedicated App: There are apps that can handle nutritional information. They input data into Metafields and display it on your store front. These apps often come with customization options like line thickness, corner radius, and more. Plus, they make managing data easier and faster. Changes to design or content can be done centrally, affecting all products at once.
Choosing an app could even be more cost-effective. Hiring a developer is pricey, and manually handling Metafields can be a lot of work. Also, any changes to design would need to be made individually for each product.
A good app can offer benefits like easy translations, professional design, and improved SEO. Search engines and Artificial Intelligence (AI) can read HTML tables but not images, so having your data in this format could improve your SEO. This is crucial as AI gets more sophisticated and specific in answering user queries.
Here’s a comparative table outlining the pros and cons of each method:
| Method | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
Product Images | 1. Easy to implement 2. No technical skills needed | 1. Not SEO-friendly (search engines can’t read images) 2. Not user-friendly (could be hard to read) 3. Slower loading times for high-resolution images |
Metafields with HTML | 1. SEO-friendly (search engines can read HTML) 2. More flexibility in displaying data | 1. Requires HTML knowledge 2. Time-consuming for large product range 3. Individual changes required for each product 4. Less professional design |
Dedicated App | 1. SEO-friendly 2. Easier and faster data management 3. Professional design with customization options 4. Central changes affect all products 5. Better for AI and future SEO competition | 1. Possible cost for app subscription |
Each method has its merits and drawbacks. Choose the one that best suits your store’s needs, considering factors like technical skill level, time investment, design preferences, and future-proofing for SEO developments.
Having these tables readily available is essential for legality too, as failing to provide nutritional information could lead to hefty fines. So consider your options and choose the one that works best for your business. Remember, the aim is to provide clear, accessible information to your customers, no matter where they are in the world.
Picture this: a slick Shopify app that takes the hassle out of displaying nutrition information in your online store.
Sounds good, right? Here’s what you’ll get:
Our app offers a friendly backend, giving you a complete overview of your products. The best part? You can smoothly populate those tricky nutritional tables. Got a ton of products? No worries, our Bulk-Editor has your back, allowing you to update multiple products at the same time.
And it gets even better. Our smart app comes with an automatic calculation algorithm that guesses additional data, which means less manual work for you. The app also keeps your data updated with continuous synchronization and offers multiple translation functions for your international customers.
We thought about performance too. Your data is stored in metafields for quick load times and easy access across systems. Plus, you won’t need a tech wizard to get things done, as setup and data entry are all automatic.
Concerned about design? Our app flexes with your needs, offering varied frontend presentations for perfect integration with your online shop. It doesn’t matter if you’re a small retailer or a big one – our app scales nicely without crashing.
What makes our app a real winner? It’s fast and cost-effective. It whips up HTML tables in no time, auto-fills data, and controls design changes for all products from one place. And it doesn’t stop there – the app is designed responsively, guaranteeing perfect display on both mobile and desktop devices.
Our app is also a whizz when it comes to nutrition table formats for the USA, Canada, and Europe. You won’t miss any crucial info with our pre-set fields, and you’re free to add your own entries if you want.
Ready to revolutionize your online shop? Stay tuned! Our app will hit the market soon, and we can’t wait for you to experience it.
Get in Touch - Get started with custom eCommerce solutions for your Shopify store
Stay Up-to-Date with the Shopify Ecosystem
No charge. Unsubscribe anytime.
