Labels have a dominating effect on the food and beverage industry because of the way in which they can influence the purchasing habits of consumers, simply with a few choice words, memorable slogan, or even through what nutritional information is displayed, products and packaging are immediately transformed.
It is because of this reason alone, that labelling has such a high level of reliance placed upon it from the general public in terms of helping them decide what they should buy depending on their needs and wants, but this too also increases the pressure food companies and labelling manufacturers are under to ensure the information presented is correct, not to mention effective in its marketing and information requirements.
Labelling is hostage to numerous stringent rules and regulations, and rightly so, since without them there would likely be complete anarchy in regards to what manufacturers could do to food and drink products, and what they could market them as being (which could be two very different things). The consumers have a certain expectation for food labels since it is these seemingly unimportant strips of paper which give the buyers details about a product’s nutritional information, ingredients, storage instructions, best before date, allergy warnings as well as recycling information to name but a few – and that is a lot of information for labels to contend with.
As people become more concerned with where their food comes from and how it is manufactured, as well as the health aspects of food, labels have gained a further responsibility with regard to informing consumers about a product’s fat content and any particular ingredients which are contained such as whole wheat. Many people are also turning to the organic end of the scale and again this is where labelling can help by displaying the correct logos, so that customers are assured that products meet the criteria set for organic produce.
However, in recent years it seems that the power which labelling holds over the consumer markets has been tainted by food fraud. Food fraud has increased over the years with meat and alcohol being two of the biggest targets due to their high value yielding high profits, but it could be that these are the main products recognised for fraud because due to them posing the greatest health risks to the public, they are the most investigated. Fraudsters are becoming very clever too, using knowledge of market trends to take advantage, from selling farmed fish as freshly caught and conventional meat as organic.
In light of this, various food authorities including the Food Standards Authority (FSA) take measures to investigate such cases of fraud. One has been the implementation of a food fraud database three years ago which is designed to collate and share information between local authorities and enforcement agencies.
Labels aim to provide correct information which is as accurate as possible to the consumer, but these continual cases of food fraud demonstrate just how people can easily end up buying illegal or compromised foodstuff through following the supposedly trust-worthy labels. And this is why various initiatives have been, and continue to be developed to help improve clarity and consistency in packaging and products, thus making it better for consumer to understand what they are buying and have confidence in the knowledge that authorities are working to crack down on food fraudsters.
Even with the actions of food fraud being tackled, the pressure for labels is far from over, since it seems companies are also using the reliance of labels to mislead consumers into thinking foods are low fat, when in fact, they are far from it.
The clever thing is, that by law, these companies are doing nothing wrong because they are using definitions, slogans and words which have no official meaning by law. Misleading labelling is becoming a concerning factor, especially when it comes to supposedly healthy foods, because if you look a little closer you will see that there is more to these labels than meets the eye. Statements such as ‘low fat’, ‘light’, ‘lite’ and ‘whole wheat’ give the impression that a product is healthy but in actual fact these can cause confusion for the consumer about what they really mean, since when labels claim a product has multi-grains, whole grains and even whole wheat, it does not mean it is 100 per cent whole wheat – yet by saying it contains whole wheat is technically not a lie because refined flour is classed as a wheat or grain.
Also it seems labels which refer to foods as low fat or light can contain more than five percent fat (the Government’s Food Standards Agency insists that food should be less than three per cent fat to qualify as being low fat), but because of the many loopholes available in food labelling for companies, these terms can be used to refer to a certain percentage of the food – so you have to read the labels carefully.
Labels can be confusing, and even though misleading consumers is not the company’s or manufacturers’ intention, it does still happen. The Consumers’ Association (now known as Which?) has launched several campaigns to reduce the amount of dodgy claims, but companies still need to be clearer in their labelling to ensure they are not offering the consumer false information. Labels hold significant responsibility and this is something which should not be abused.
Another issue surrounding labelling of food and drink products is the amount of information which they can contain, or rather must contain. Since there are so many rules and regulations regarding food and drink products, it is essential that all necessary information about their contents, nutritional information, storage and cooking instructions, sell by date and more is made available to help consumers make the right decision about their purchase.
Due to the ongoing changes within the industry, innovative developments are crucial in order for it to continue growing, yet as the industry grows so too does the amount of information needed on labels. Denny Bros are renowned specialists in multi-page labelling which is designed specifically to communicate vital information or inspirational messages onto products and packaging.
Thanks to Denny Bros’ introduction of the multi-page labelling system companies have been able to utilise the space on products and packaging and not have to reduce the information provided. Whether giving information or using it as a promotional tool, these Fix-a-Form multi-page labels create extra space, complement or even enhance brand designs, and ultimately create an attention-grabbing on-pack promotion. Even on the most seemingly unsuitable packaging, Fix-a-Form can provide the ideal solution with its ability to suit any size and shape, and offering up to 36 pages and different folding formats such as booklets, fold-outs, and broadsheet. Materials used are also able to suit storage and display conditions from moisture to temperature changes and formats can be tailored for on-pack, in-pack, or off-pack.
Versatility is the way forward for labelling innovations, being able to cater to the many changing needs of the market trends and consumers, while meeting the strict regulations set for the industry – and with developments such as Fix-a-Form multi-page labelling, the future of food and drink labelling is literally an open book.
Nicole Tinmurth, Food & Drink Network UK, 22 October 2009
