Posts Tagged ‘food labels’
FDA Regulating Food Labels
Monday, July 19th, 2010
We have all walked through a grocery aisle and seen words like, “Supports Immunity”, “Helps Memory”, or “Metabolism Booster” pop out from product labels ranging from the produce department to the ice cream freezers. When terms like these are used on a product, it is obviously to catch your attention and create an impulse to buy. Unfortunately, many of these claims are misleading. While a product may help your memory or assist in losing weight, unless there is scientific evidence to back up the words, the label in violation of the FDA.
You are probably thinking, “I see labels like these all the time?” Well, you are right, food labels with marketing claims like these run rampant, and the FDA is setting out to fix it. The major issue at hand is the FDA doesn’t have enough resources to go after every incorrect or misleading food label. For the most part, the FDA does not need to approve a label before a product is introduced to the public, especially if there are under 100,000 units (small producers). Now, the FDA is working to improve their requirements, while also making it easier for compliance.
Michael Taylor, the Deputy Commissioner for Foods at the FDA states, “The FDA must pick its battles – and set its priorities – in a way that will benefit the public health. To that end, we have launched a major campaign to improve nutrition labeling – a campaign whose goal is to ensure that consumers can rely on food labels to make informed choices, build healthy diets, and reduce their risk of obesity and chronic disease.”
To that end, we at InTouch Labels are also going to work harder to help ensure our customer’s are in compliance with the new regulations and style changes for their food labels. We aren’t here to police every label that passes through our presses, but it is our job to help guide labelers through the printing process, and in the world of food labels, the printing process does involve the FDA. If you are using a claim that cannot be proven, it is in your best interest to update the label design with indisputable information. This won’t only ensure you are following the FDA’s guidelines, but it will also show your customers that you believe in your product based on factual merits.
Don’t worry if you feel there isn’t a good way to market your product without these catchy statements. There are plenty of words and design choices you can make that will make your product stand out and get sold. If you need help coming up with some good designs for your food label, contact our design department. We offer all our expertise at no charge, so don’t hesitate to at least see what we can come up with!
To Go Food Labels
Friday, July 16th, 2010
After a lovely dinner at Not Your Average Joe’s in Boston, my leftovers were carefully packed in a cardboard container and delivered to my table. When I got the box, I noticed a descriptive label attached to the top of the package. The label gives basic cooking instructions for the leftover meal, along with the item and date of purchase.
The cool thing about these labels is they are a simple solution to a common problem. How many times have you looked in your refrigerator and found a container of leftovers and had no idea what it is? Now, if it has been there for a few weeks and you can’t remember the last time you ate out, it is probably best to toss it, but if you live in a busy household where leftovers are constantly making there way into the fridge, these labels can come in very handy.
The labels feel like a low-gloss stock, with three ink colors, black, blue and red. The company’s logo is positioned at the top, along with their website. It is smart to leave space for hand-writing changing information, like the item and date. These types of labels could be quickly produced for any restaurant that offers “doggy bags” or take-out menus.
My favorite part of the label is the last line, “When in doubt, throw it out.” I feel these are always good words to live by.
Whole Foods Changes Labels
Monday, July 12th, 2010Whole Food Market, the non-stop growing organic grocery store chain is putting the hammer down on bath & body products claiming to be organic. You may not know this, but soaps, shampoos, and other body products aren’t regulated by the USDA in the same way organic food products are. In fact, there aren’t really any regulations for labeling organic personal care products…until now. If you are selling a personal care product in Whole Foods, you will soon face some major labeling changes, which could ultimately mean you have to change your entire product. Joe Dickson, a quality standards coordinator at Whole Foods states, “Just like the national organic standards for food were an attempt to protect our customers, this is an extension of that same thinking to this aisle.”
Not all producers are happy about this change. As it turns out, not all the ingredients in some of these products can be produced organically. For example, one producer noted that glycerin cannot be organic because no one makes it organically. Another worried that one of their key ingredients, mineral salt, which makes their product effective, is not considered organic, so they will have to alter their entire formula and hope the product still works. Another concern is being able to make organic products with long lifespans since most don’t use soaps or shampoos immediately and expect a decent shelf life.
From Whole Foods’ standpoint, they have a mission and a vision for their company, and they are now large enough to truly enforce their desires. If you are an organic personal care product producer, Whole Foods would be a dream retailer, so they certainly have the power to hand down these types of regulations. From a labeling perspective, if the rules are followed, the labels will be just as easy to produce as any current bath and body label. If you plan to produce and market a product at Whole Foods, be sure to check their regulations before printing your labels. Whole Foods is requiring everyone to fully comply with these new regulations by June 2011.
Jersey Fresh Logo on Food Labels
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010
You may not know this, but some of our country’s best produce comes from New Jersey. Having been to the produce growing areas of southern New Jersey, I can attest to the freshness and quality of the produce from that region. Jersey is especially known for its tomatoes and corn, which are often used as ingredients in locally produced items like tomato sauce.
Recently, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture announced that any company using locally grown ingredients in their food product would be able to put the “Jersey Fresh” logo on their food label. Initially, only seven companies were allowed to use the logo on their labels, but after the initial pilot test, the use of the logo is being opened up to any producer who can prove they use fresh New Jersey produce in their food item.
The Department of Agriculture will closely monitor and inspect all food producers who use the logo to ensure they are complying with all the rules and regulations when using the logo on a label. Many producers are happy with the proposed inspections because it will ensure there is value in the Jersey Fresh logo.
Color Coded Food Labels
Thursday, June 24th, 2010
Yesterday, we talked about how some think the adhesive glues on food products can be harmful to our health. Now, we are faced with our food being harmful to our health, and labels may be the best solution. In Europe, the European Union is opting for Guideline Daily Amounts on food labels to help consumers purchase healthy foods. The new labels will highlight a product’s salt, fat and sugar content in an easy and uniform manner. This all sounds pretty reasonable, but it is not near as interesting as the original concept.
Originally, the EU wanted to color code food products. Healthy foods would have a green label, where unhealthy foods would have a red warning label cautioning consumers away from the product. Obviously, producers of foods considered “unhealthy” strongly advocated against this type of system, as the labels would automatically demonize their product. From a food label design and marketing standpoint, the food companies have a fair case because it would impact their product negatively, even if it is unhealthy. We all have favorite treats that we know aren’t good for us, but we still sneak them into our shopping carts. I’m not sure I’d be thrilled to fill my cart with all “red labeled” foods.
Luckily, the color coding system is not being implemented, but the EU is ensuring that food labels all meet the same standards when displaying key contents. The key contents must be on the front of the packaging, with a font size no smaller than 3mm. While this is only being adopted in Europe, I wouldn’t be surprised if we in the USA start to see legislation pushing this type of food labeling in the next few years.
The reality is that food labels in their current form can be confusing and it can sometimes be difficult to locate the exact information needed to make an informed decision about a product. In the past, companies have tried to develop their own coding or check system for products, but those programs were often found biased, as the company would inevitably label all their products as “healthy”. While I’m not sure everyone wants the government mandating what is healthy and what isn’t, if there was a labeling system indicating the amount of key contents and setting reasonable levels, it would help most consumers navigate their way through many food labels.
Toxic Food Labels?
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010
There was a recent study by the University of Saragossa in Madrid, Spain, reported in London’s Daily Mail indicating that adhesives used on some food labels could be potentially dangerous to consumers. The study suggested that toxins in the glue can seep into plastic containers, and ultimately reach the packaged food product.
The study warned consumers to be cautious of food packaged in plastic containers with extended lifespans, as opposed to an item that is meant to be eaten in a short period of time, like fresh packed fruit, etc. We want to stress that the glues used for adhesive food labels, while in fact containing a mixture of chemicals, is not harmful when applied to plastic containers. The Food Standards Agency, Britain’s FDA, noted, “The Spanish researcher’s findings need further study, and we consider the potential seepage or migration of chemicals into the food is still very low based on previous research.”
As we spoke about last week, the adhesives used for labels that come in direct contact with items, like fresh produce, do require a special FDA approved adhesive which present no risk to consumers when placed directly on an item. The FDA or USDA do not require special adhesives being used on food labels that are adhered to outside packaging, mostly because there is no clear or definitive risk to consumers.
Food Label Design – Before & After
Monday, June 21st, 2010
Mr. Singh’s Chilli Sauce was recently redesigned by Pearlfisher, an international ad agency with offices in London and New York. They transformed the young brand (founded in 2008) from a mixture of styles and graphics to one, clean and simple design. The new label design feels like a product on its way to Whole Foods or some other high-end grocer.
The interesting aspect to this story is the father of the product’s founder created the artwork for the first label. That being said, it would have been nice if the new design had some relationship to the old design. While I’d be the first to admit that the original design is far too busy, the new food label has no ties to the previous design. Perhaps the brand owners wanted a drastic change, but in our experience, it is nice for a product, and its current customers, if some design element is carried over, mainly for brand recognition.
As we look at the two designs, they could have based a new label design around the Mr. Singh’s logo/character at the top of the label. It would have changed the overall feeling because a graffiti-esque drawing would not translate well on the clean and simple new label design created by Pearlfisher, but it could have been a fun direction to choose. That being said, the new design is a great example of clean, simple and modern. It has a very high-end feel, and while it isn’t as fun as the original design, it would look great on someone’s kitchen counter – which in the specialty food niche is a major selling point.
Additionally, the new design does lose some of the literal “hotness” of the previous design. The first label looks like a product that may be too hot for some to handle. The new label looks like a much more mild version, even I wouldn’t be afraid to try this! In the end, while I think the old design was more fun and adventurous, the new design has a much broader appeal and captures an essence of high quality, which many consumers want.
What do you think of before and after food label designs? Do you prefer one over the other?
Custom Honey Labels – A Sticky Situation
Monday, May 17th, 2010
Have you ever reached into the cabinet for a jar of honey and ended up covering your hand with the sticky stuff that has oozed onto the label? As a result, you decide to wash off the container and label, only to find the paper label falls apart under the water, now making it impossible to identify the honey. This isn’t an uncommon problem. In fact, we work with many honey producers to design and print honey labels for just this problem.
When printing a label for an item like honey, it is important to remember that the labels will probably face some water. Whether washing the actual container or simply washing honey residue off your hands and then touching the label, the label will get wet. Standard paper gloss or matte labels don’t deal well with water. The labels will crinkle and curl at best, and at worst, fall apart and come off the package. This may not seem like a big deal, but consumers remember products based on their label, and if the label falls off, they may not remember the brand when they go back to the store. Seeing the honey jar’s label over and over again ingrains the product into the mind of the consumer.
So, what is the solution? The best solution is to print the labels on a waterproof vinyl label stock. This will ensure the labels are protected from any water, whether it is minor dampness or a full stream from the faucet. Vinyl labels may be a more expensive solution than a standard gloss or matte label, but in the end, it will be a much wiser investment, as there will be no risk of losing the label and perhaps losing a customer because they can’t remember the product’s name.
Another option, which could work for honey packed in squeeze bottles would be to use a gloss label stock with a varnish. Since the squeeze bottles are less likely to collect honey drippings from spoons, etc., it is probably safe to assume the containers won’t be washed. There is still a chance a user could wash their hands and touch the label, and the varnish will provide enough protection from this minor wetness.
When printing honey labels, it is important to think about how the honey will be used. I know this may sound strange, but if someone is using a spoon or pouring the honey from a jar, then the chances are very high that the label will get sticky overtime. This stickiness could ruin the label. A lot of money is spent designing and printing custom labels, and there is nothing worse than realizing choosing the wrong stock can compromise the entire product. If there are any questions about your honey labels, or food labels in general, it is better to be safe than sorry and print a waterproof label.
Food Label Design – A Study in Innovation
Thursday, May 6th, 2010
Do you remember when you were little, sitting down at the dinner table and drinking a big glass of pomegranate juice? No? Are you sure? You are sure? Ok, well you if you are over five years old, then you are probably right, there was no such thing as pomegranate juice. Five years ago, Pom Wonderful came on the scene with pomegranate juice and forever changed the landscape of fruit juices.
Their innovative bottle and creative label design quickly captured consumers from around the globe, turning an obscure fruit into a universal phenomenon. A lot of their success is due to smart product placement in produce sections, as opposed to juice aisles, and their packaging and food label design. Their use of a heart shape in place of the letter “o” quickly gave consumers a sense of healthiness. The heart is a great image for the label because consumers associated it with something they would love and would be good for their “heart”, which has been a primary focus for many food and beverage producers over the last few years.
We wrote recently about the concept of clean and modern label designs, and Pom Wonderful certainly captured this concept beautifully. Many health food product labels are crowded with health claims and facts. Their simple design speaks to the consumer without saying anything. We know their strategy has worked because they have become one of the fastest growing beverage company in the United States.
FDA Food Labels
Wednesday, April 28th, 2010
Whenever someone starts looking into printing food labels for their products, they are immediately faced with the challenge of sifting through the FDA’s food labeling regulations. If anyone has had the pleasure of vising the FDA’s website and trying to figure out what can and cannot be on a food label, then you understand how difficult the process can be. Since we deal with food labels all the time, our team has become well versed in FDA regulations and can quickly tell if a label will meet their strict requirements.
Since we all know this can be a hard process, we thought it would be helpful to create a whitepaper about designing an FDA compliant food label. We tried to outline the most important points of a food label, like the nutrition chart and product name/logo placement. This should help guide you through the design process of a food label for a packaged product, fresh commodity or fruit and vegetable labels.
Recently, a number of very large companies were fined a lot of money for labeling their products incorrectly. If large companies who specialize in food products can make mistakes, so can you. Click the link below to learn more about FDA compliant food labels.
