Labels in the UK, we see them on every food or drink packet we reach for at home, work or on the move. They are on your favourite bottles of drink, chocolate bars and crisp packets; they are so common we almost don’t even notice them anymore - but why are food labels so important?
Ingredients
This one is a no-brainer as customers need to know what is in the food they’re eating. Food labels give consumers a list of ingredients so they can identify exactly how healthy (or unhealthy) the product in question is. Many people believe that the longer the list of ingredients, the more unhealthy the product but this isn’t necessarily true!
Labels on food are also a great way of advertising your product as consumers rarely buy something without knowing what’s in it.
Health Risks
Labels are also important in helping customers avoid health risks, especially if they have allergies or ingredients they should avoid. Thankfully, the UK makes this kind of information mandatory on all food and medicine products, but this isn’t the case around the world. Also, since 2006, products in the UK also have to be labelled with potential allergy ingredients like milk, nuts and soy.
By keeping your customers informed of the potential risks to their health, you help them decide on the best product for them - and food labels play a key role in this.
Instructions
Labels on food, and especially medicines, are vital when it comes to questions on its use. Cooking instructions, appropriate storage methods and other key pieces of information are listed on food labels. Medicines often list out dosage, allergy information and how best to ingest the product (swallow, chew, take with water etc).
Offering helpful information on your food labels gives consumers confidence in using your product, especially when it comes to cooking instructions as this gets the best flavour from the food and also helps them avoid sickness.
Warnings
Warning signs on food labels are crucial for food products, with a particular focus on allergies and conditions for use. Medicines also utilise similar warnings on their labels, highlighting that their product shouldn’t be used with alcohol or mixed with other medication for example.
Consumers rely on this information on their labels to ensure they aren’t ingesting anything that could harm them or others. Having this on your food labels will give consumers the confidence they are buying a product that is safe for them to use.
Discounts
It’s often the case that bigger brand names will use the same ingredients in their food as store brands, it’s just the price that is different! Food labels allow consumers to compare products easily and ultimately save themselves money on similar items.
Food labels can also show items that are on sale or discounted, encouraging more purchases and allowing you to promote the products you want to sell. Customers are always more than happy to grab a bargain, so make sure your labelling makes the discount clear!
The bottom line is that labels are crucial in delivering key information to consumers such as allergy information, ingredients, discounts and more. Make sure your food labels are clear, informative and designed to a high standard. For an overview of what you need to show on your food labels then check this useful guide.
Take a look how we can help you add value to your existing food labels with our extensive range of materials, shapes and sizes, or use our Sticker maker with 100s of design templates!
