How to use an ‘occasional’ food label

In an interview with Packaging Digest, Mars Food Corporate Affairs Vice President, Craig Annis, described a new packaging initiative that will affect some of its food products. This project will focus on nutrition to keep the consumer more informed and help them fit different products into their diet. Though it will bring new labels to these products, these won’t replace the existing food labels and will instead supplement them to give buyers more information.

“We are working to develop an easy way for consumers to identify which products meet our Nutrition Criteria,” Annis said. “In the next few months, we will share on our website a list of which products are ‘occasional,’ which are ‘everyday’ and which are slated for reformulation.”

Companies in a similar industry can consider whether “occasional labels” can also work for them in some form or another.  In a press release on its official website Mars Food remarked that the labels will launch alongside a web-based list of products that consumers can check to see how often they should consume them. This is a part of the company’s larger Health and Wellbeing Ambition plan, a commitment to healthier products and better cooking habits overall.

Just because a product is labeled as an “occasional” snack doesn’t mean it has the same role in a diet as other similar products. Each item will have different levels of frequency: some may be enjoyable on a more regular basis than others. The release said the company will also try to lower the amount of added sugar and sodium in its products over time.

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