The issue of consumer trust is why correct food labels are so important. Essentially, customers are trusting your product every time they make a purchase, and while certain information included on labels might not be false, per se, they also might leave out important or harrowing information as to the origin of certain additives.
One example is the somewhat alarming alleged use of carmine as a dye in Dannon yogurt. Although the Food and Drug Administration does require the use of “cochineal extract” to be mentioned on labels, it does not appear to mandate that companies describe where this comes from: insects.
According to UPI, the color derived from using certain bugs in yogurt makes it desirable for producers of anything from makeup to food. Consumers who are unaware of the distance between the “official” names of these ingredients and what they actually refer to could be making mistakes without realizing it.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest has launched a petition to try and convince Dannon to stop using the dye derived from this ingredient. In a press release on the site, Michael Jacobson, the association’s executive director, decried use of this extract, especially since other natural colorings exist.
“Given the fact that it causes allergic reactions in some people, and that it’s easy to use safer, plant-based colors, why would Dannon use it at all?” he said.
Ingredients may seem harmless enough in the planning and production stages, but once you actually start making labels, it can be too late to notice the way they are perceived. A color label printer can give companies a chance to size up their labels beforehand, reducing the chance for mistakes or misconceptions later.
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