Reading Food Labels

When shopping for food, an easy way of checking whether food products are safe for you to eat is to read the label. This will give you a list of the ingredients in the product and also highlights any allergens present. 

This video explains what information is on food products and how this can help you identify which foods are safe for you to eat.

A short video produced by Coeliac UK.

Read more here.

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Many Food Labels Mislead Consumers

The Food and Drug Administration is cracking down on food manufacturers for misleading consumers about the nutrient content of their products on the front label of the packaging.

An excerpts from the KUJH-TV Newscast produced by students at the William Allen White School of Journalism, University of Kansas, United States of America.

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Food Labeling Requirement in Malaysia (Part 1 of 6)

1.       All labels shall be durably marked on the material of the package or on material firmly attached to the package.

1.1    However if a package is made of clear transparent material, then the label can be placed directly inside the package provided:

§  the food in the package is not ready for direct consumption or

§  If it is ready for direct consumption, food is to be completely enclosed in its natural shell or pod or interior wrapper.

1.2    For legibility, specific requirements for font size, style, contrasting colour of letterings have been prescribed in the Regulations for the labels.

(e.g font size in no smaller than 10 point lettering for most particulars; font size in no smaller than 4 point lettering for information on ingredients and nutritional labeling; no smaller than 2 point lettering for very small packages, etc.)

2.       Language to be used for information required on the label depends on the country of origin as follows:

2.1    Products of Malaysia

§  Shall be labelled in Bahasa Malaysia AND may include translation in any other language.

2.2    All other imported foods

§  Shall be labelled in Bahasa Malaysia OR English AND may include translation in any other language.

3.       Important particulars expected to be on the label are as follows:

3.1    A description of the food containing the common name of its principal ingredients, for eg. “Sweet Corn Cream Style”, “Beef patties”.

§  In the case of food product being a mixed and blended food, the label shall indicate the contents are mixed or blended, for eg. “Mixed vegetables”.

§  where the food contains beef or pork, or its derivatives, or lard, a statement as to the presence in that food of such beef or pork, or its derivatives, or lard, in the form—
"CONTAINS  (state  whether  beef  or  pork,  or  its  derivatives,  or  lard,  as  the case may be)"
or in any other words to this effect;

§  where  the  food  contains  added  alcohol,  a  statement  as  to  the  presence  in thatfood  of  such  alcohol,  in  capital  bold-faced  lettering  of  a  non-serif character not smaller than 6 point, in the form—

"CONTAINS ALCOHOL"

 or in any other words to this effect;

*All information on the labeling requirements of food sold in Malaysia gleaned from the Malaysia Food Regulations 1985 and Food Irradiation Regulations 2011 (as at March 2013).

Source : Malaysian Food Canners' Association (MFCA)

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What Are the Key Characteristics of Good Product Labeling?

Based on World Federation of Direct Selling Associations (WFDSA) on their website, good labeling must cover 5 important areas, namely;

1. Provide basic information
   
   The product label must state the brand name, the price, the standard certification or expiry date for food products and the name and address of the manufacturer.
   
   
2. Details of the content or ingredients
   
   A good product label should give information on the contents, and for food items, the ingredients used. The information provided must be such that consumers can understand the meaning or look the meaning up in a dictionary and not some term coined up by the manufacturer of his/her product advertising agent. The information must include the weight and measurements as well.
   
   
3. Instruction for use
   
   Another characteristic of a good label is one that contains clear and precise instructions on the use of the product. In addition to product labelling, more product information is needed such as on electrical equipment, computers, machinery, etc. In the case of food items, tonics and medicines, the amount and dosage must be clearly stated. The instruction should include instructions for storage and maintenance.
   
   
4. Warning and contra indications
   
   A good label should also contain warnings of possible dangers and hazards. In the case of food and medicines, the label should provide contra indivations and possible side effects.
   
   
5. Visible and easy to read
   
   Labels are for consumers. A good label is one that is visible and easy to read not just coding and signs for the use of the retailers and manufacturers. Often, like in the case of medicine, in addition to the core message in the label, detailed information should be provided by means of information sheets.
   
   

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The Importance of Reading Food Labels

The importance of reading food labels; from the author of Read It with a Grain of Salt - The Truth about Canadian Food Labels from an Industry Insider.

Uploaded by Allison Jorgens on Youtube.

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Misleading Food Labels

We take a look at what's really in your shopping basket with many food labels causing confusion.

Produced by Michael Pell, brought to you by Australia's No. 1 Breakfast Show, Sunrise (Channel 7).

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Food and Drink Giants Pledge More Action on Ads and Labeling

Food and drink companies across the world have pledged to be more transparent on their progress in phasing out advertising of high fat, salt or sugar foods to children and providing more consistent product labelling.

At a gathering in Paris, the board of the Consumer Goods Forum, a network of 400 retailers and manufacturers from 70 countries, promised to accelerate its moves to greater transparency and  more responsible marketing and said it would produce a report in January on progress made against a series of global health measures.

They include a pledge to stop advertising to children for products that do not fulfil specific nutrition criteria based on scientific evidence and/or applicable national and international dietary guidelines, by 2018.

The Forum said it would also quiz its entire membership on progress against another resolution calling for “industry-wide implementation” of consistent product labelling and consumer information to help consumers make informed choices and usages.

“The consumer goods industry acknowledges its role in the health and wellness of society, the issues around it, and the imperative need for actions. We have to scale up our efforts. We have to accelerate existing initiatives,” said Paul Bulcke, chief executive officer of Nestlé SA and co-sponsor of The Forum’s Health & Wellness Pillar.

Source : The Grocer UK

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FDA to tighten rules on GM tolerance thresholds

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday released three draft regulations governing the labeling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), which would lower the threshold of tolerance for authorized GMOs in non-GM foods from 5 percent to 3 percent.

“Under the draft regulations, packaged foods containing GMOs or non-GM foods and ingredients that ‘unintentionally contain’ more than 3 percent GM materials are required to label the products as ‘genetically modified’ or ‘containing GMOs,’” said Lee Wan-chen, a section head at the agency’s Division of Food Safety.

Food ingredients that are sold loose or in small quantities are also to be subject to the same regulations, such as soybeans, soybean milk, tofu and vegetarian meat made from soy, Lee said.

Those who fail to comply would face a fine ranging from NT$30,000 to NT$3 million (US$1,000 to NT$100,000), as stipulated in Article 47 of the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation, Lee added.

Public comments on the draft regulations are set to close on July 19 and the regulations are scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, 2016, except for the one governing the labeling of unpackaged GM materials, which is to be implemented in three phases, Lee said.

As of this month, the FDA has approved 67 GM food ingredients, all of which are imported, mainly from the US.

Lee said the regulations are designed to assuage some consumers’ concerns about genetically modified foods by improving transparency in GMO labeling.

“We are hoping to help consumers make informed food choices,” Lee added.

With regard to the agency’s controversial decision to lower the threshold to 3 percent rather than 0.9 percent as Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Wen-ta had promised, Lee said the decision was made after factoring in the nation’s food supply and demand.

“Nevertheless, a further lowering of the tolerance threshold is still possible, depending on the effects of the regulations,” she said.

Currently, the unintentional presence threshold for GMOs in non-GM foods is 0.9 percent in the EU, 1 percent in New Zealand and Australia, 3 percent in Malaysia and South Korea, and 5 percent in Japan.

Source: Authored by Stacy Hsu in Taipei Times

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Are You Smarter Than A Food Label?

Spoof of the popular game show, this segment pits FDA's "Labelman" against a contestant in food label knowledge. Questions cover topics such as Calories, Serving Size, Servings per Container, The 5-20 Rule and more.

Produced by CDRH-TV for CFSAN [vpfood]; uploaded by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA).

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