For my topic, I decided to research food labels and how they are perceived by us consumers versus what they actually mean. For example I've started talking about how when a food is labelled as "fresh", we think it means picked/made within a few days, when in fact all it means is that the food product cannot be frozen and reheated. That means that that "fresh" food could actually be weeks old and contaminated with bacteria. I also talked about how people believe that "natural" labels mean that the food has no artificial substances. While "natural" technically does mean that, the definition of it also states that if the food has come into contact with artificial substances during manufacturing, it still counts as natural. I've also mentioned how "free-range" chickens only have to have access to the outside, with no certain amount of hours being allowed outside. Also how the conditions the chickens are supposed to be in have no sanitary requirements, so animals are often cramped in a too small space with too many animals, and often are standing in piles and piles of their own feces.
I'm getting stuck though when trying to find more labels to research. So far I have done "fresh", "natural", "free-range", and "sugar-free". I just seem to be struggling with finding more labels to investigate. If any of you have any other labels that you want to know what they actually mean, or just saw a label on something and want to help me out, it would be very much appreciated :). Okay guys have a great night and if you send me any labels thank you in advance.
It is strange that companies are able to put virtually any label without it having to mean anything. Without it being certified most labels true meanings are different than what most consumers believe that they mean. Perhaps there should be some rule or law that companies are only able to put a certain word or phrase on the packaging of their food unless it meant something substantial or important. Some labels that don't actually mean what they say, or at least what the consumer would believe that they say are "wholegrain", "fat free", and "no sugar added".
ReplyDeleteOther labels you should try are "gluten free", "no Gmo's", and "no preservatives added". Almost anyone can write anything they want to in there product so long its not a lie. Half truths are probably accepted since the government trying to crack down on slightly misleading advertisement can be seen as a waste of resources. The best you can do is to have and educated public, if that's even possible. Or a have government owned food company as a competitor in the market.
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