What is a label
Labels in general, are used to assign a name and identify something. In today’s fast growing and demanding markets, labels constitute the most important marketing tool for promoting consumer products.
Up until the mid-80’s most food manufacturing companies had begun using labels for ingredients and nutrition on their packaging of products, as a commercial tool. This, in conjunction with pressure from health and safety professional bodies and consumers, lead to the establishment of labels as a regulation and means of communication of vital information to customers.
Today, all packaged consumer products is promoted on the shelves of all commercial stores (super markets, pharmacies, bakeries, etc.) or online through self-adhesive (or non self-adhesive) labels.
What’s on a label?
A label usually has a brand or a name on it. All labels should show ingredients, expiration date, food additives and information for the nutrition values the product may contain.
Furthermore, labels inform consumers about the storage conditions of the products sold, cooking instructions and most importantly what they contain. This is extremely important for the people with allergies. Through this information, labels assist consumers to maintain a safe, healthy and balanced living style.
Most sign regulations in food are valid and recognizable in all the European Union countries. However, consumers should learn how to read labels, in order to find the basic information that they need by scanning through the product’s label and check if the product is safe and the methods used to produce it, in order to decide if they will buy it.
