Food Packaging and Labelling
Guidelines that food businesses must know
Rules You Must Know about Food Packaging and Labelling
Food labels and packaging are essential tools for informing customers about the healthiness of particular foods and the advantages of eating a balanced diet.
Consumers may be educated in purchase decisions by using the information on food labels, which is crucial.
In order to prevent consumers from being misled about the product, the label must accurately describe the contents. Regulations that define a food’s name, ingredients that must be used, and content are known as standards of identification.
What should be indicated?
According to the law, the following information must be presented on food labeling and packaging:
1. Product’s name
The identity of the product must be displayed on the packaging in a clear and accurate manner. The majority of products will be included in this category and need a name that is informative.
This ought to be properly detailed to explain the food’s genuine nature to the purchaser and make it easy to identify it from other goods that it could possibly be confused with.
The term “roasted bacon,” “salted nuts,” or “dried beans” must appear on the label if the product has been processed in any way.
2. Ingredients
The ingredients are listed in easy-to-read, descending order of weight, the font that is at least 1/16″ in height.
Fresh fruit and vegetables, carbonated beverages, and other goods are excluded from the requirement to show an ingredient list.
When displaying the quantity of an ingredient, it must be stated so as a percentage that reflects how much of the ingredient or ingredients are actually being used and should be included alongside the ingredient or category of ingredients.
3. Net quantity of the product
Net quantity refers to the total amount of food in the package, whether it be expressed in terms of weight, fluid volume, or item count. Foods that come in liquid or ice glaze packaging need to display the drained total weight.
Generally sold by number, as long as the number of products can be seen clearly and easily recognized from the outside or, if not, is noted on the labeling.
4. Allergen Declaration
Use a different font, style, and background color, or bold the text to highlight allergens on the label.
This helps consumers learn more about the ingredients and is beneficial for those who must avoid certain food due to food allergies or intolerances.
Some examples of food allergens are Eggs, Nuts, Crustacean shellfish, Soybeans, Wheat, Fish, etc.
5. Nutrition Facts
The FDA regulates the type of label to apply to your goods according to the size and contents of the packaging.
Relevant information about the products that consumers eat is expressed through the Nutrition Facts Label. This is placed near the ingredients list.
Nutrition Facts Label requirements:
- Serving sizes per container
- Essential nutrients (saturated fat, protein, cholesterol, potassium, calcium, etc.)
- Standard household measure
6. Manufacturer’s name and address
The name and address of the food business must appear on the packaging or label. The correct address must be a physical location where customers may mail to your company.
When a manufacturer’s address is included, customers have the option of contacting them with questions or complaints about the product.
PACKAGING ADDITIONAL ELEMENTS
Barcode
- Products are marked with barcodes for easy identification. The barcode must be positioned so that it doesn’t cover up any of the necessary components.
- Among various purposes, barcodes are used on invoices to help with accounting, in warehouses to track inventory, and in retailers as part of the purchasing process.
Best Before, Expiration Dates, or Sell-by Date
- The Best before date informs you that the food is no longer in perfect condition as of that date.
- Consumers can determine a product’s safe-to-consume date from its Expiration date.
- In order to manage inventories, a Sell-by Date indicates how long the goods should be on display for purchase.
The month, day, and year of the date must appear next to an explanatory statement on the packaging and cannot obstruct any mandatory labeling elements.
Nutrient Content Claims
Using phrases like free, high, and low, nutrient content claims either describe the amount of a nutrient present in the product or compare the amount of a nutrient present in one food to another using terms like more, reduced, and lite.
Some breakfast cereals advertise themselves as “rich in fiber”. All of these nutrient content statements, such as “high in calcium,” are included on milk cartons.
The nutrient claim, which is frequently included on the front of food labels or packaging, allows for a quick comparison of items that are identical.
Each individual has the right to know whether the food they purchased complies with the label’s description.
We play a part in preventing inaccurate food labeling and incorrect food descriptions.