Understanding Food Packaging Norms

With increasing awareness, consumers have become educated and more health conscious. Now consumers demand more information concerning the nutrient content of packaged foodstuffs. Along with the research and development efforts of many countries on food standards, there is so much information available on food packaging that the ordinary consumer finds difficulties in understanding what it all means.

Many consumers are familiar with the term "Use by" date, and think they can identify the right food stuff to purchase.However there is another, very similar term, which is just as familiar – "best before" – and it does not mean the same thing as "Use by".If food is to consumed within a particular period of time because of health reasons, the food packaging must be marked with "Use by" date, and the sale of these foodstuffs in the market after that date should be(and usually is) prohibited.As an indemnity, though, selling of food past the set "best before" date is allowed, provided that the insides are not damaged,deteriorated and/or perished. The "Best before" date is usually associated with products with preservatives, such as jam bottles.

Another fact is that the more complex information is shown on the nutrient panel usually printed on all packaged foods. Until recently is was debated whether or not salt content was to be included on the panel. These panels show the energy amount (kilojoules), total fat quantity, protein percentage, saturated fat content, sugar and sodium content (salt) is in the product. This information is shown by per-serve basis, which is set by the manufacturer or is measuredper 100 grams as a set standard worldwide.This enables the consumer to compare the nutritional value of the same product from different manufacturers.

Food manufacturer must show a list of ingredients on plastic packages, in descending order by ingoing weight, therefore the largest amount is shown at the top. Usually Items like sugar, salt (sodium) are found at the top of the list in items like soft drinks and desserts. Another important norm for packaging food is the label. Fair trading laws need that the label should convey the right information about the content, i.e., if the label pictures an apple, for example, the product must contain an apple. Food additives such preservatives and sweeteners must also be declared readably. Also, packaging should also list allergy information.

Also, packaging of food items should be built firmly as the products will be required to be in transit for quite some time, to get to suppliers and super markets all over the country. Food packaging should be designed to withstand shocks, vibrations and impacts that usually occur at the time of transportation process. Hence, they need to be protected from any sort of damage that may affect the overall integrity of the product. In some cases, your food would need to be safeguarded from outside elements such as water, dust, vapour and pollution(these elements will speed up food quality degradation if not stopped). You definitely don't want your product to reach the market in an altered state.

Consumers with some doubts and uncertainties should not refrain from contacting packaging suppliers or food manufacturers, as they would feel happy to address inquiries. For more information on product packaging, visit Southpack.com