Latest LabelCalc® Upgrades Lead the Way for FDA Compliance in Food Manufacturing

Online, August 5, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Web-based nutrition analysis solutions pioneer FoodCALC® has announced the launch upgrade of their revolutionary application, LabelCalc, the FDA-compliant online labeling system which provides food manufacturers with a cost-effective alternative to lab analysis and third party outsourced consults. Amongst growing industry demands, LabelCalc has emerged as the leading resource for nutrition analysis services among food manufactures and culinary professionals, with an eight-year track record of industry excellence and endorsements from nationally recognized associations.

LabelCalc has successfully made nutrition analysis simple and economical by utilizing sophisticated web-based technology and a growing database of 20,000-plus ingredients. New lower costs have effectively eliminated the need for expensive traditional methods of analysis.

The changes to the LabelCalc interface were designed specifically for food manufacturers who require FDA-compliant nutrition analysis and FDA-compliant fact panel labels. Continuing in the LabelCalc fashion, the product touts unsurpassed functionality within its newly improved interface: duplicate recipe options; downloadable FDA labels in three different high-resolution graphic formats; and the ability to download nutrition results in Microsoft Excel or CSV file formats.

With these upgrades, the application is now more user-friendly than ever, with time-saving features and a more intuitive, easy-to-navigate system. "The changes that we made to the LabelCalc system are all in response to the feedback that we were getting from our users. Our goal is to make LabelCalc as user friendly as possible, so we really focused on usability for this latest update along with some modernization to the look and feel," says FoodCALC's Director of Nutrition, Alyson Mar, RD. "From a compliance standpoint, there is no other web-based software that focuses solely on instantly producing Nutrition Fact Panels in accordance with the FDA's guidelines."

Because LabelCalc is web-based, the user-audience is any company wanting easy, affordable, accurate FDA compliant Nutrition Facts Panel Labels. One of LabelCalc's larger clients has already voiced praise for the new design. GoPicnic, purveyor of shelf-stable picnic meals popular among several major airlines, has been a LabelCalc client for the past two years. "For a fast-paced, growing company like GoPicnic, LabelCalc offers reliable information in an easy to follow format," said Carolyn Wiesemann, the company's Product Development Manager. "The recently updated interface allows us to easily add or remove products in a meal. This capability has given us the opportunity to test different nutritional values giving us better nutritional information and the chance to offer our customers an even healthier and higher quality product. Our product development runs smoother and faster, saving us time and money."

Even those who are newer to the food manufacturing industry find the upgraded product easy to navigate. Kari Mansfeld, owner of Kari's Malva Pudding, said "LabelCalc is wonderful and very easy to use to make my nutritional facts labels. The quality of the downloaded files was perfect for print and my labels not only look good, but have reliable and accurate nutritional information."

LabelCalc's pricing offers three different plans, including the popular per-label plan, or the option of an annual, unlimited subscription for total cost savings. "Having the unlimited version of the program allows me to add additional products and to test potential products which help in deciding on recipes," said David Terwilleger, President of Twig Enterprises Inc. "We had properly compliant labels on the shelves within five days."

FoodCALC's in-house registered dietitians also offer a consulting package in which a registered dietitian will do the analysis for the customer entirely. All packages include recipe storage and backup, as well as in-house support from certified labeling and nutrition experts. According to Mansfeld, "I found the customer support to be very helpful and friendly, and would use it for all my products in the future."
Additionally, FoodCALC offers two packages for expert consulting services, including a results review and a product packaging review. Expert assistance can be provided on the following six points of regulation: correct FDA serving size and servings per container listing; correct net weight listing; correct FDA ingredient statement format and layout; permitted ingredients and wording; correct allergen declaration; and consistency with FDA rules and regulations.
While the new LabelCalc interface was designed to offer an intuitive and easy transition, FoodCALC will also be providing the industry recognized extended support to users should any questions arise. The company's online demo center has been updated with new and improved video demos, and will be offering support via email, telephone and webinars as the process is completed.

About FoodCALC
San Francisco, CA-based FoodCALC® LLC www.foodcalc.com, is the food industry's gold standard for web-based nutrition analysis solutions. Since 2003, the company has pioneered the use of internet-savvy technology to deliver instant, affordable nutrition data, and has recently been endorsed by The National Restaurant Association as a preferred nutrition analysis platform.

FoodCALC also owns MenuCalc®, which generates up-to-date FDA-compliant recipe analysis for restaurant operators and food professionals. Multi-unit restaurants that have signed up for MenuCalc's nutrition analysis include Eugene, OR Abby's Legendary Pizza; Bend OR, Croutons Inc.; Louisville, KY based Texas Roadhouse; Indianapolis, IN based Steak 'n Shake; St Louis Park, MN- based Granite City Food & Brewery; and San Francisco, CA based Specialty's Cafe and Bakery.

Food manufacturers that have signed up for LabelCalc's nutrition analysis include the largest wholesale grocery distributor in the western United States, Unified Grocers; the world's largest producers and distributors of fresh, ready-to-eat packaged salads, Fresh Express; premium snack manufacturer Energy Club; soy yogurt producer WholeSoy & Co.; and international airline caterer Gate Gourmet.

For more information, visit www.MenuCalc.com and www.LabelCalc.com; email [email protected] or [email protected] or call (415) 398-4628.