Food labeling involves taking into account many specific U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-driven rules and regulations to ensure accurate and complete information is presented to the consumer when making a purchase decision. With a glut of food recalls or incidences of food production-related illness and death in recent years, food labeling is a serious matter that’s central to a food manufacturing strategy. With this mandate in mind, here are three tips for food labeling on plastic bags, specifically, which are a package material of choice for everything from potato chips, bread or vegetables to a litany of other grocery items.
- Make it clear: First and foremost, Food labeling must be easy to read and understand. Thanks to the overriding FDA guidelines, the specifics on what need to be included on a label are straightforward: ingredients, nutritional information, claims and, of course, critical data like expiration dates. There are even specific formats provided by the FDA that helps manufacturers design the label with this information so it’s presented in an easy-to-read fashion.
- Make it accessible: One of the most important things a manufacturer can do is make sure that the shape, color, and size of any plastic bags utilized make it easy for consumers to quickly find the information they are looking for like the expiration date. Put it in a strange place like a bottom or back of a plastic bag and they may give up and just decide against buying the product. Or they may not know the item has passed the perishable date. However, make it easy for consumers and they will be more likely to complete the purchase. While making required data accessible, it is still important to ensure that your marketing messages also have a place in the spotlight so there must be a balance between these two needs.
- Make it complete: Not including critical information on the label of a plastic food bag can result in the wrong kind of attention by the FDA not to mention a tarnished reputation where consumers may think you are being evasive or dishonest with them. Even if there is a lot that must be noted and shared on the label, it must be done to satisfy today’s requirements and marketplace expectations. This is a great way to show consumers that you are heeding their health and well-being by providing them with helpful amounts of information about the food they are eating. It will help them make the right choices about portion size and maybe even how to prepare the food in that plastic bag.
In Summary Here is a summary of the information in this blog post about food labeling and plastic bags:
- Labeling needs to be clear, easy-to-read, and follow certain guidelines established by the FDA.
- Consumers have to find the information easily and quickly or they will move on to another brand that does offer them that accessibility.
- It is important to never leave any information off the plastic bag that is essential and required by law.
