Checklists · Checklist
The F&B packaging checklist we run before every launch
Boxes that leak and labels that break the rules are expensive to reprint. The list we work through with F&B clients before files go to the printer.
Packaging is the part of a food brand customers carry home, photograph and throw away within the hour. That short life is exactly why it needs planning. A box that leaks, a label that breaks the rules or a cup that only looks good before the lid goes on all cost money to reprint.
This is the list we work through with F&B clients before files go to the printer. Print it, screenshot it, argue with it.
Before design starts
- List every item that needs packaging, from hot and cold drinks to sides, sauces, desserts, bags and stickers.
- Get exact sizes and dielines from your supplier. Designing first and finding a box later is the expensive order.
- Confirm the printing method and how many colours your supplier can print.
- Decide which items are delivery-first and which are counter-first.
If you sell prepackaged products in Saudi Arabia
- Labels on prepackaged food must be in Arabic. Another language can appear alongside, as long as its content matches the Arabic (SFDA.FD/GSO 9).
- Check whether you need a nutrition panel. The SFDA nutrition labelling regulation (SFDA.FD/GSO 2233) exempts single-ingredient foods such as rice, tea, coffee and sugar.
- Leave space for expiry dates and batch information.
- Confirm the final wording against SFDA guidance, or with a regulatory consultant, before printing.
Design
- Make the logo readable through a phone camera at arm's length.
- Proof the design on the real material. Kraft board, white board and plastic all shift colours.
- Keep one system across sizes so a small cup and a large box look related.
- Keep important information away from lids, seals and handles.
Delivery and real life
- Order samples and run a full delivery test, packed, bagged, driven and opened.
- Check that stickers and seals survive condensation from cold drinks.
- Photograph the packaging in your own lighting. That's how customers will post it.
The reprints we see most
- A logo placed across a fold or a glue flap.
- Text too close to the cut line.
- Colours approved on screen that print darker on kraft board.
- A cup design that only works before the sleeve goes on.
Questions people ask
Does food packaging in Saudi Arabia need to be in Arabic?
Labels on prepackaged food must be in Arabic under SFDA.FD/GSO 9. Other languages can be added alongside, as long as their content matches the Arabic.
Do all food products need a nutrition label?
No. The SFDA nutrition labelling regulation, SFDA.FD/GSO 2233, exempts single-ingredient foods such as rice, tea, coffee and sugar. Check your product against the regulation.
How long does F&B packaging design take?
Our F&B Packaging Design package takes 4 business days. Printing and sampling time depends on your supplier.
Sources
- SFDA, Is it allowed to write the food product label in English only?
- SFDA, Frequently asked questions on food labelling
Written by Brandtastic Design Studio.