You have made a decision to lead a healthier life. You go to the store to choose between two products, trying to choose the better option. But how do you decide? You read the label, of course! We take food labels for granted, but they are a very important tool for our health. These labels guarantee us that the food is really what we think it is and that the products contain nutrients in the quantities we expect. Labels inform us about the ingredients and nutritional value of the product.
Given the increasing international trade, it is increasingly difficult to know who our food producers are and where it comes from. Trusted tags help fill that information gap.
The FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) and the World Health Organization (WHO) collaborate through the Codex Alimentarius Commission to set global food labeling standards. Countries must adhere to those standards when labeling food, especially food that will be sold on the global market.
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6 things that food declarations help you with:
1. They protect your health
Food labels help you better understand the composition of products: vitamins, minerals, calories, fat and other important nutritional information. This information is essential to know that you are eating foods that are beneficial to your health.
Through the labels, you can monitor your micronutrient intake and avoid deficiencies, such as iron or vitamin D deficiency. You can also monitor your calorie and saturated fat intake, which helps you maintain a healthy body weight. By limiting your intake of sugar and salt, as well as ensuring a balanced diet, you can reduce your risk of diseases such as diabetes and certain heart conditions.
2. They help your safety
Every year, more than 600 million people get sick and 420,000 die from eating food contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins and chemicals. Product labels provide warnings and important information about the proper use of food, such as storage and cooking instructions.
This information is crucial because it allows the food to be safe for consumption.
3. They prevent you from buying non-original products
Preventing fraud is one of the main objectives of food labeling. Without internationally guaranteed labels, food sellers could mislead consumers by misrepresenting products on packaging.
For example, when you buy chocolate, you want to be sure that it is really chocolate, or when you buy fish, that it is exactly the type of fish that is listed on the package.
4. Transparency of ingredients, good and bad
Food reactions affect 10-25% of the population in developed countries. The most common allergens are peanuts, soy, milk, eggs, fish, crustaceans, wheat and tree nuts. If you don’t know the ingredients in the product, you could unknowingly eat something that causes an allergic reaction, some of which can be very serious.
Food labels help you identify and avoid these potential allergens, thereby reducing the risk of an allergy attack.
5. Declarations on food prevent food waste
Food labels (when read correctly!) can prevent you from throwing away good food. The date mark on the products lets you know how long the food is safe for consumption. This is crucial to avoid getting sick from eating expired food.
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However, confusion between “best by” and “use by” dates can lead to more food waste. In the European Union, around 10% of food waste is related to date marking. Educating consumers and all stakeholders in the supply chain can help reduce food waste and ensure that date marking is clear, in order to maintain food safety.
6. Support for local food producers
Certain labels that indicate the origin of food can attract the attention of customers and increase the value of the product, and therefore the producer. Consumers often associate local and specific food products with certain geographical areas, attributing to them characteristics such as taste and quality.
According to a study conducted by the EBRD and FAO, nine products with geographical indications increased the price of the final product by 20 to 50 percent. Today, consumers increasingly associate the quality of food with its geographical origin and tradition.
Although food labels are often easily ignored as we reach for our favorite product, they contain important information that can have a major impact on our health.
We strive for a world where food is safe for everyone and where we can be sure we know what we are eating. Read the labels!
Source: FAO
Source: www.agromedia.rs
