How to Determine Serving Size (RACC)

The most common serving-size misconception: that you pick a serving size that makes your numbers look good. You don't. FDA sets Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed (RACC) for every food category, and your label's serving size must be determined from them (21 CFR 101.9(b)(2), 101.12).

What RACC looks like

RACCs are based on national food-consumption surveys — the amount people actually eat per occasion, not what anyone recommends. Examples from the official table (21 CFR 101.12(b)):

• Cookies — 30g
• Breads — 50g
• Muffins — 110g
• Jams, jellies, honey — 1 tablespoon
• Sauces for dipping — 2 tablespoons
• Snack mixes — 30g
• Carbonated beverages — 360 mL

Your serving size is expressed as a household measure (like "2 cookies") closest to the RACC, with the gram weight in parentheses.

Servings per container

Divide net contents by the serving size, then round per 101.9(b)(8): to the nearest whole number, except between 2 and 5 servings, where you round to the nearest 0.5 and use "about" — e.g., "about 3.5 servings per container".

Small packages count as one serving

A package containing less than 200% of the RACC and sold individually is a single-serving container — the whole package is one serving, whatever the math says (101.9(b)(6)). A 16 oz drink is one serving because people drink the bottle.

When you need two columns

Packages holding 200%–300% of the RACC must show a dual-column label: per serving AND per package (101.9(b)(12)(i)). This catches things like a 90g cookie pack (3× the 30g RACC would be over the limit, but a 75g pack lands in dual-column territory).

Practical takeaway

Pick your product category, weigh your finished batch, and the servings math follows mechanically from the RACC table — our builder suggests the count from your batch weight. What you do control: the household-measure wording ("2 cookies (56g)"), set in the label settings.