I walked into a store last week to get a Superbite beef-roll for myself. At first, the seller told me he doesn’t have the type I wanted but when he saw how disappointed I looked, he went in to bring a new carton of it.
Right after the he gave me the item, I proceeded to check the expiry date. And to my greatest surprise, it had expired a day before. A whole carton of beef-rolls!
I told him I can’t buy it any longer because it has expired, but he replied with confidence that he would eventually sell all of it.
Amazing stuff.
Food labels are not for decoration. It is there for you to have the right knowledge of a product and that information should not be ignored.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, a food label is any tag, brand, mark, pictorial or other descriptive matter, written, printed, stencilled, marked, embossed or impressed on, or attached to, a container of food or food product.
It is simply any information written on food products. It remains one of the most vital and direct ways producers communicate information to their consumers.
This information, which includes items such as ingredients, nutritional facts, product name, net quantity, allergen warning, manufacturer information and other information such as cooking instructions, storage guidelines can accompany the food or be displayed near the food to promote its sale. It is essential for all food products.
Producers are by law expected to include this information as it helps consumers make informed decisions during the process of buying, storing and consuming the product.
Reasons why you should pay attention to Food Labels
1. Ingredients: This is a no-brainer as consumers are expected to know what it is they want to consume. And this they know through the help of the label presented by the producers.
2. Health Risks: Information on this help consumers to know allergies or ingredients they should avoid. For example, medicines often highlight health risks related to some drugs as they warn that individuals of certain age should not use the medicine as it poses some risks.
3. Instructions: Food labels do not only contain the ingredients, it aslo help pass vital instructions on how to use a product. Cooking instructions, storage methods and other key information are presented on food labels.
4. Warnings: Warning signs on food labels are vital for food products with a focus on allergies and conditions for use. Some food products or medicine often warn consumers that their product should not be used by, say pregnant women, children of a certain age for example.
This help consumers on their own to be sure they are not consuming what will be harmful to them health wise and it aslo boosts their confidence in the product.
5. Reduction of food waste: Date marking on labels serves a purpose and one of it is to prevent food waste.
And that is why we have Best Before Date (the last date to which a product is considered to be at its peak quality, flavour and texture) and Expiration date (the last date a product is considered safe for use after which the product may degrade in quality).
How many of us have consumed expired or harmful products due to ignorance or negligence?
The importance of food labels cannot be overstated.
So, the next time you reach for your favourite snack or drink, remember that food labels are not just decorative tags, but lifelines to safer and healthier consumption. Make a conscious effort to read, understand, and act on the information provided on food labels.
Our health, literally, depends on it!
Food & Wellbeing2 months ago