You’ve committed to living a healthy lifestyle. You visit the store to make a decision between two products, seeking the superior choice. But what follows? How do you choose? Reading the label.
We take them for granted, despite the fact that they are crucial to our health and wellbeing. Food labels ensure that the product is what we think it is and that it is as nutrient-dense as we believe it to be. We learn about ingredients and nutrients through labels.
It is becoming more and more difficult for us to identify the specific origins of our food as a result of increased global trade. Authentic labels aid in bridging this gap. The World Health Organization (WHO) and FAO are collaborating to establish international guidelines for food labelling. When it comes to food packaging sticker label, nations must follow by these rules, especially for products that will be marketed internationally.
The primary method of informing a consumer about a product is through the food label. In the United States and most of the rest of the world, the label is subject to strict regulations. In recent years, the majority of nations have updated their laws governing food labelling to more accurately reflect the overall regulatory landscape. It is controlled to make sure the label is correct and provides all necessary information. The label can give vital information to a person with food allergies in addition to letting consumers know what is in a container. The nutrition facts provided on the label include information on calories as well as important macro- and micronutrients that can help customers avoid obesity and ensure proper nutritional intake, which is frequently lacking.
Food labels are intended to both inform consumers on the ingredients of the product and draw in new customers. Label on food package are powerful marketing tools, but it is the manufacturer’s duty to make sure that the information on the label is accurate, compliant with all relevant laws, and not misleading. In order to prevent consumers from being misled about the product, the label must accurately describe the contents. The standards for labelling in the United States are clearly stated; the criteria for determining truthfulness are objective, and food labelling is actually pretty easy to do—as long as you follow the regulations .
Infographic provided by Antares Health Products, a vitamin E TPGS manufacturer
Here are six reasons why it’s crucial to label foods:
- Maintain your health – Meals labels provide information about the vitamins, minerals, calories, fats, and other ingredients in your food. This knowledge is crucial for ensuring that you are consuming the correct kinds of food. You can check your intake of nutrients with labels to prevent deficiencies, particularly those that are common like iron and vitamin D deficiency. By keeping an eye on your intake of calories and saturated fats, cutting back on salt and sugar, and eating a balanced diet, you can control your weight. All of these behaviours can aid in the prevention of conditions like diabetes and some forms of heart disease.
- In order to keep food safe, labels must include cautionary statements as well as crucial usage instructions (such as directions for storage and preparation).
- Prevents you from purchasing fake goods – One of the main goals of food labelling is to prevent fraud. Without labels that are internationally guaranteed, food vendors could purposefully mislead consumers by making false claims on the container. When purchasing fish or chocolate, you should confirm that the product is what it purports to be before purchasing.
- Look for components that might give you negative reactions – In developed nations, 10 to 25 percent of the population experiences adverse reactions to food. Foods including peanuts, soybeans, milk, eggs, fish, crabs, wheat, and tree nuts are among the most often allergic ones. Unaware of a product’s components, you can unintentionally consume something that would set off an allergy attack, some of which can be very bad. You can read what to avoid on food labels.
- Prevent food waste – When properly read, food labels can prevent you from throwing away valuable food. You can tell how long a product is safe to consume by looking at the date on the food label. It’s crucial to do this to prevent food poisoning. It is also true that mixing up “use by” and “best before” dates might increase food waste. In the EU, date marking is responsible for roughly 10% of food waste. Consumer and supply chain education can assist to reduce food waste and ensure that date marking serves its intended goal of keeping food safe to consume.
- Encourage regional food producers. Manchego cheese from Spain, Darjeeling tea from India, and Kona coffee from the United States are a few examples of labels that can draw attention from consumers and add value to the product and the producer. Consumers frequently associate regional foods with a particular location and connect attributes like flavour and quality to certain places. Nine goods with regional indication labels raised the end product’s price by 20 to 50% according to an EBRD and FAO study. Consumers today increasingly associate quality with a product’s geographic origins and customs.
Conclusion
It’s simple to ignore food perfume labels when you reach for your preferred item or snack. They are merely one of numerous, ostensibly dull pieces of writing competing for your attention. Nevertheless, knowledge is power, and this power can assist you in taking charge of your own health. Although you may not enjoy the labels of “fitness nut” or “junk food junkie,” you do want your tomatoes to be called tomatoes and your peanuts to be labelled peanuts! We aim for a world where everyone has access to food and assume that it is safe food. However, we are unable to create a world with no hunger without this fundamental framework.