Industry standards have regulated the labeling of food products and given the consumer much more confidence that the product they are buying is accurately represented by the information on the label. It is now much more difficult to get away with outrageous claims about the attributes of a particular product, as the disclosure requirements are clearly set down in most countries' Food Standards. However, while there is a significant amount of this information that can be understood by the average person, some of it is still relatively technical, and a level of awareness and education is required if the consumer is to be clear about a purchase.
Most consumers are familiar with the term "use by" date, and think they understand it, but there is another, very similar term, that also sounds familiar - "best before" - and there is a difference. If food needs to be consumed before a specified period of time because of health and safety reasons, the food packaging must be date marked with a "use by" date, and the sale of these foods after that date is prohibited. As an exemption, though, selling of food with dates beyond the set "best before" date is permissible provided that the contents are not damaged, perished or deteriorated.
All food plastic packages contain nutrition panels stating some complex information about the food contents. These panels will list how much energy (kilojoules), protein, total fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugar and sodium (salt) is in the product. This information is listed by serve, which is determined by the manufacturer, and is also listed by 100 grams, which enables the consumer to compare products.
Food items must also show a list of ingredients, in descending order by ingoing weight, so that the largest amount comes first. Usually items like fats, sugars and salt (sodium) are at the beginning of the list. The label must also show the key or characterizing ingredient if there is one. Fair trading laws require that the label should tell the truth about the contents i.e. if the label pictures a mango, for example, the product must contain mango. It is also necessary to declare such food additives as sweeteners and preservatives.
These are just some of the very basic items that must be shown on food packaging, and while it's a positive move to inform consumers, there is a level of education and understanding of what is represented that is needed before fully informed choices can be made. Consumers with doubts should not hesitate to contact packaging suppliers as they would be more than happy to address inquiries.
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Packaging suppliers like Dabron Packaging http://www.dabron.com.au/ have a responsibility to the consumer to not only keep the product free from contamination, but to ensure that the labeling on the food packaging is up to date and accurate.
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