In this day and age, you are spoilt for options when it comes to shopping at the supermarket or grocery store. If you are looking to lead a healthy lifestyle like most people nowadays, then you have been on the fence regarding similar products trying to pick the better one. But how do you decide? This is where labels come into play. We are used to them, but they play a vital role in providing information regarding ingredients and nutrients. Labeling is mandatory in every country but some people don’t know why it is important. This read will delve more into the benefits of labeling.
1. Stay Healthy
Labels are key in helping you understand a product’s composition i.e calories, minerals, vitamins, etc. This information is vital in making sure you consume healthy foods. With labels, you’re able to monitor your micronutrients and avoid deficiencies of important minerals and vitamins, particularly calcium, iron, and Vitamin D. In addition, you get to watch your weight with calories and fats information. Labels also help ensure you are consuming a balanced diet, and prevent conditions like heart disease and diabetes.
2. Stay Safe
Over 600 million people fall sick and 420,000 die due to the consumption of contaminated foods. Labels are essential as they give warnings and important details regarding how to use a product, i.e cooking instructions, and storage. This is essential in keeping your food safe.
3. Avoid Counterfeit Products
One of the primary reasons for labeling is fraud prevention. Without globally guaranteed labels, manufacturers and sellers can easily mislead their customers via false representation. When you buy orange juice, you actually want to ensure that it is what it claims.
4. Avoid Food Wastage
When read correctly, food labels can actually prevent food wastage. The inclusion of manufacture and expiry dates helps you know how long the product will last and whether it is safe for consumption. This is imperative to avoid cases like food poisoning and illnesses. However, the ‘’use by’’ and ‘’best before’’ dates can be confusing for many, leading to more food wastage. About 10% of food wasted in the EU is associated with the date information. Educating both the supply chains and consumers can help avoid this and keep date labeling true to its role.
5. Know Ingredients that Cause Allergic Reactions
Milk, soybeans, eggs, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, and fish are some of the most common allergic foods. If you do not know the ingredients included in a product, you may eat something that might cause an allergic reaction, some of which are severe. Food labeling by Label Solutions Ltd, a sticker printing socialist, helps you know what food products to avoid.
6. Support the Local Food Producers
Almost every label indicates the product’s origin. Examples include Kona Coffee from the USA, Manchego Cheese from Spain, Colombian Coffee from Colombia, and Darjeeling tea from India. This kind of branding helps attract attention and brings more value to the product. This leads to business growth for the manufacturer or producer. People tend to identify food products to a specific place and with certain attributes such as taste and quality.
According to research done by FAO and EBRD, 9 products with geographic information on the labels increased their price up to 50%. People link quality to traditions and geographical locations, particularly when it comes to food.
We are so used to labels that they are easy to overlook. However, as shown above, they play a major role in our lives.
