Product Labeling

1. Products and their regions

Meat

Product area: Meat
URL: https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/ingredients-guide/beef

Canned beef

Product area: Canned product
URL: https://www.leaf.tv/articles/how-to-read-the-expiration-dates-on-canned-food/

Oranges

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Product area: grocery
URL: https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-use-by-best-before-food-packaging-label-
25940511.html

Bread

Product area: Grocery
URL: https://global.videojet.com/wp-content/uploads/dam/img/690×390-carousel-
web/690×390-bakedgoods-breadwrapper.jpg.

2. Types of dates
   The types of dates that are used in food products are “Sell By”, “Best if Used By”, and
   “Use By”. “Sell By” shows the date beyond which the product should no longer be displayed.
   The date is used for inventory management. The “Best if Used By” shows the consumer that
   to enjoy the best quality or flavor of the product, they should use it before or on the date that

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is provided. “Use By” provides the date that the consumer is recommended to use on or
before for the product’s peak quality. Lastly, “Freeze-By” provides the date on or before
which the product should be frozen for the consumer to maintain its peak quality.

3. Products that should have a date label on them
   The products that should have a label on them are food and pharmaceutical products.
   The date labels let consumers know when to use the foods when they are safe and the best
   quality. For these two products, the date labels are important because using the products
   when they have expired can have devastating consequences on the health of the person using
   them.
4. Circumstances under which one can but “out of date” food.
   I cannot buy food that is ‘out of date’ under any circumstance. This is because the food
   will be of low quality.
5. Warning messages
   Warning labels inform consumers about the health risks of using the food products. For
   instance, an allergen warning message warns consumers that the food product can cause them
   to have an allergic reaction. A food product with the label “Gluten-free” cannot be considered
   to be warning label because the label does not warn consumers of the dangers of using the
   food product. The label simply informs consumers that the label does not contain gluten and,
   therefore, can safely be consumed by customers who do not take food products with gluten.
6. Examples of warning messages
   Smarties Candy Rolls: Smarties contain none of the following: gluten (from wheat, barley,
   oats, and rye), milk, egg, fish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts or soy beans.
   Campbell’s Spaghetti Original: Partially produced with genetic engineering

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Butter: Allergy advice: recipe contains peanuts

7. Warning messages rating system
   An effective warning label should be large enough to grab the attention of the consumer.
   It should also be written in a language that a consumer can easily understand. It should also
   be clear and easy to recall so that the consumer does not immediately forget about the
   warning once they walk out of the store. These qualities can be achieved through having a
   warning labels that are written in large text and place on the front of the product so that it is
   easily visible. Since I consider the three qualities to be the most important ones when rating a
   product’s warning label, my warning rating system has three stars. A warning that scores
   three stars easily grabs the attention of the consumer, is easy to comprehend, and is easy to
   recall.
   Of the three warning messages, the one that I would pay attention to is the butter warning.
   The warning used a font that was bigger than fonts of other messages on the label. It also
   used pink color. The combination of large font and pink color makes the warning easily
   visible.
   The warning label that I rate lowest is that of Campbell’s Spaghetti. The warning was in
   small font thus making it hard to notice it. In summary, I gave the butter warning two stars
   out of three and the other two got one star each.
8. Healthy food purchases
   I would purchase foods that are most nutritious. Nutritious foods have large amounts and
   wide variety of nutrients. The five foods that I would buy include:

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 Liver: Liver is the most nutritious animal organ. It contains large quantities of
vitamins B2, B5, B6, and B12. It contains vitamin A and many important minerals,
such as zinc, phosphorous, iron, and copper.
 Leafy green vegetables: Leafy vegetables, such as kales and spinach have a wide
range of nutrients. Thanks to their higher nutritional value, they have been found to
significantly reduce risk factors of cardiovascular diseases. Some of the nutrients that
they have include vitamins A, B6, C, E, and K. Apart from vitamins, leafy vegetables
are also a good source of many minerals, such as calcium, copper, potassium, zinc,
and manganese.
 Avocados: Even though some people avoid them because they have high fat content,
avocados are among the most nutritious fruits. They are an excellent source of
healthful fats (the good cholesterol) which helps to get out the bad cholesterol from
the bloodstream. Additionally, avocados contain large quantities of vitamins B, E, and
K. They are also good as fiber sources.
 Salmon: Salmon contains high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s have been
found to significantly lower risk of various serious diseases and improve well-being
of individuals. They also have large quantities of vitamins, especially vitamin B,
proteins, and minerals, such as potassium and magnesium.
 Potatoes: They are an excellent source of minerals, such as manganese, copper, iron,
magnesium, and potassium. They also contain large amounts of vitamins A, B and C.
They also have high filling value and provide excellent dietary fiber.

9. Ingredient statements

Meat

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Meat

Meat

Canned products

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Canned products

Canned products

Bakery

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Produce

Bakery

Canned product

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Canned food products have the longest ingredient statements while produce products have the
shortest ingredients statements.