Should more information be provided on food labels - Essay Example

Should more information be provided on food labels? Introduction In the current world of productionand marketing, producers are compelled to stick food labels for the products that they produce, especially those that are for consumption either by human beings or by domesticated animals. This being the case, the consumers before purchasing such items would be much concerned about the content of the product they intend to buy as presented in the food label.1 In trying to develop on this discussion, the key point to note would be whether it is indispensable to take account of supplementary information on the food labels.

For example, the nutrition facts that are provided on a breakfast cereal would mostly comprise of minerals and vitamins. However, should this be all it contains or is there a necessity for improving on it?To argue out this effectively, an appropriate stance would be that of affirmative being that much of the products bought need to accurately represent the true nature of their contents. This is because it will effectively enable consumers make informed decisions on the right type of product to buy depending on their nutritional needs.

2 The sense in this is that just because a particular food item contains much of vitamins implies that it is the most appropriate as it could contain other contents not revealed. As such, producers need to include other labels on the products. Consequently, this can be possibly enhanced when a consumer is able to eat healthily due to the act of choosing the right type of food even after sampling most of the so as to get the right nutrient content.3 Healthy living can only be enhanced by the adoption of an item whose food label is richly justified; thus, a greater reason why food labels should be enriched with more information.

Another factor that would be argued out in this perspective is that a good food label would enhance caution among consumers especially when they note that it contains an additive (allergen) they don’t need (Weirich 2007, 117-121). In this, the producer is obliged to provide all these information and evade liability for harm caused by any of such when used by a consumer. If this information is hid, then the consumer may not make a right choice and end up being harmed by the hidden content that was not revealed in the food label.

4A third factor is that, with more information on food labels, a consumer is able to identify the serving size of the item for consumption, and the number of servings that are contained in the product’s single package. This is essential as it helps consumers determine the quantity of such packages to purchase. The serving size is essential too because it will influence the calories amounts, as well as, the nutrient amounts.5With regard to the content of food labels, the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (1990), food labels should comprise of crucial information as directed by USDA such as; Product’s common name.

The product’s manufacturer name and address.The net contents of the product, which is in terms of measure, weight or count.The list of ingredients for the product in a descending order of weight and predominance.The size of servings for the particular product; and,The nutritional facts of the food item.‘Best by’ and ‘Use by’ dates.Storage instructions.An adoptable example of a food label would be as shown in the diagram below of a product: Krispy Krunchies.6Source: http://www.healthchecksystems.com/label.htmBIBLIOGRAPHYBlanchfield, J. R. Food Labelling.

Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2000.Garlough, Robert. Modern Food Service Purchasing. Clifton Park, N.Y.: Delmar Cengage Learning, 2011.Henry, C. J. K. The Nutrition Handbook for Food Processors. Cambridge: Woodhead Publ. [u.a.], 2005.Joint FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission. Food Labelling. Rome: World Health Organization, 2007.Vaclavik, Vickie, and Elizabeth W. Christian. Essentials in Food Science. New York, NY: Springer, 2008. .Weirich, Paul. Labeling Genetically Modified Food The Philosophical and Legal Debate.

Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. .