This blog has recently reported on the potential changes in food labels that may occur in California after this November’s election, as well as the ongoing upswing in demand from consumers who want more clarity and information on their product labels.
While the term “organic” may be highly regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), many of the most popular labels that are put on foods and beverages in grocery stores and supermarkets are not, reports a recent article from Time Magazine.
According to the source, cage-free and free-range labels are essentially exactly how they sound – the animals are given room to roam. The former is usually used in reference to chickens and eggs, while the latter can be applied to any form of livestock. But, this label is unchecked by federal regulations, allowing companies to claim their products are cage-free or free-range without actually being so.
In addition, the term’s grass-fed and natural are also not subject to government regulation. While nonprofits such as the American Grassfed Association and Animal Welfare Approved can help provide some regulation on these practices, they don’t have the oversight the USDA has.
While phrases such as “pesticide-free” and hormone or “antibiotic-free” do not have any regulation governing it, in order to be USDA Organic, a product must be hormone- and pesticide-free.
Regardless of the product, or how it was made, it’s critical that companies are able to use high-quality custom labels to differentiate their product from competitors. By investing in a Primera LX900 color label printer, businesses can ensure that, at the very least, their products will be well displayed on store shelves.