Millennial consumers are more into healthy food products and food producers have been forced to adapt to ensure that their products include ingredients that promote a healthier lifestyle. However, there have been cases of food producers including false claims on their food labels that are misleading to the consumers. The FDA has set strict regulations for food labelling to protect consumers from false claims.
If a producer is found to violate any of the set regulations, he or she is faced with stiff penalties and in a worst case scenario, his or her products can be recalled and possibly banned from the market. When designing food labels, there are label violations that you need to avoid to ensure that you print custom labels that consumers can trust. Let’s check out some of the claims and labelling errors you should avoid when designing food labels.
“Made With Real Fruit”
Most drinks made from fruits claim to use real fruit to produce the juice. Most consumers automatically think that the product only contains the actual fruit mentioned not knowing that other ingredients like artificial flavour and sugar is added into the product. When designing labels for juice products, ensure you list all the ingredients used to help the consumer make an information choice.
“Low Fat”
Many consumers avoid foods with high fat contents and so they are careful to check the amount of sugar content available in a product. Never assume that “low fat” and “reduced fat” can be used interchangeably. If your food products have low fat, ensure that the contents are less than 3 grams of fat per serving. Food products that claim to be fat free may not have traces of fat but often they contain fat items less than 0.5 grams.
Nutrition Fact Problems
If you want your brand to be successful, you have to be honest and be sure of the facts you place on your food labels. Some producers overlook some items on a nutrition label simply because they seem obvious. Always be careful to double check your nutrition label to ensure that you list all the contents. Check that the servings per container and serving sizes are correct. Stating the incorrect nutritional facts can have severe long-term repercussions and will not bode well with brand loyalty.
Designing Labels With Hard To Read Fonts
Labels are meant to provide information so it is important to design food labels that are legible. Avoid overdoing the text on your labels with small or busy fonts. When reviewing your font selection, check the contrast in color, size and style for readability. When consumers can read information on your labels easily, they tend to trust your products more and the more they feel confident in their purchase.
Listing Ingredients Using Uncommon Names
As mentioned earlier, it is important to list all the ingredients in your product on your labels. Don’t take any shortcuts and ensure you list every item, including their sub-ingredients if any. Never use abbreviations when listing ingredients. Always use a common name and write it in full. Use names that consumers are familiar with and can easily identify. When listing ingredients like oil, be sure to specify which type of oil was used.
