News 1+1丨How can food production date labels be "visible"?
The characters are too small, the color is light, and they are hidden deeply. Why are food production date labels always "hide and seek"? How can the labeling position, font specifications, text color, and production date labels be clearly visible at a glance? Recently, the State Administration for Market Regulation issued the "Announcement on Encouraging Food Companies to Optimize the Production Date and Shelf Life Labeling of Prepackaged Foods" to encourage food companies to actively take targeted improvement measures. "News 1+1" focuses on: How can food production date labels be "visible"?
Significant labeling is actually not difficult
Why are companies unwilling to do it?
Wang Qingbin, Food and Drug Legal Research Center of China University of Political Science and Law: Labels are actually a window for consumers to understand product information. It is not difficult to mark them prominently, and the "Food Safety Law" also has clear requirements, but the reason why companies are not so willing Doing it may often be due to factors such as cost.
If the production date is clearly marked and easy to find, then among different batches of products, consumers will basically choose the latest products, including experienced consumers who may see something like this when buying things in the supermarket. For example, companies often put the latest products at the end and the first products where they are easiest to get. In fact, this is also to avoid the expiration of some products and prevent increased costs.
How can food labels be more standardized, accurate and transparent?
In order to help consumers identify nutritional ingredients more directly, Shanghai recently began to trial "beverage grading." The four grades A, B, C, and D are used to reflect the sugar, fat and other ingredients contained in the beverage. According to reports, the A, B, C, and D labels are comprehensively graded based on the four contents of "non-dairy sugar, saturated fat, trans fat, and non-sugar sweeteners" in the beverage. From A to D, the level of recommendation decreases. Currently, four companies are participating in the first batch of pilot projects for beverage classification labels.
In fact, in order to cultivate a healthy lifestyle for citizens, in August last year, Shanghai tried to use three-color logos of "red, orange and green" to grade beverages: red suggested "drink less or no sugary drinks", and orange reminded "Less than 25 grams of added sugar per day", Green guides citizens to read the nutritional label. Although they do not directly indicate the sugar content of drinks, they can still guide consumers to optimize consumption choices and reduce the intake of sugary drinks.
In terms of beverage classification, some countries already have clear regulations. In December 2022, Singapore began to fully implement a sugary beverage grading system, requiring manufacturers to print nutrition grade labels on packaged beverages sold. The labels contain four grades: A, B, C, and D, with decreasing healthiness. Starting from December 30, 2023, a one-year beverage grading system has been implemented, further expanding the scope of application, and freshly squeezed juices and freshly brewed drinks made on site are also included.
Singapore has one of the fastest-growing diabetes prevalence rates in the world, according to Singapore National Health Survey data. On average, Singaporeans consume 60 grams of sugar every day, more than half of which comes from beverages. Data from the Singapore Ministry of Health shows that if it is not controlled, by 2050, the number of diabetic patients in Singapore may reach 1 million among a population of about 6 million.
Food production date marking issues
Involving the balance of interests between consumers and businesses
Wang Qingbin, Food and Drug Legal Research Center, China University of Political Science and Law: The issue of food production date labeling involves the balance of interests between consumers and enterprises. The mandatory promotion of positive labels will actually have a certain negative impact on the interests of enterprises, but it will also have a certain negative impact on consumers. It is a beneficial system for readers. A game involving the interests of multiple parties is indeed a relatively complex issue.
From a consumer's perspective, when purchasing packaged foods, you should develop the habit of reading labels, especially some important information on the label, such as production date, shelf life, sugar content, oil content, salt content, and whether it contains trans fatty acids. and other information that has a prominent impact on health. (CCTV News Client)