- November 18, 2025
- admin
The label that you see on any food item, like the spice jar or a ready-made meal, is marked essential. It informs you clearly about the ingredients, proper storage methods, and critical allergy warnings, as these small labels give you the necessary knowledge and power, we must understand the importance of food labelling to consumers. They assist families in making informed and safe decisions. Shoppers in India are more cautious than ever. In a recent poll, approximately 78 %of shoppers read the label, at least in part, before purchase, and nearly 62% of shoppers first read the expiry or date. This indicates that people desire straightforward, candid labels. Brands with simple, proper labels gather trust – and this is what Prakash Label assists you to do.
What Is A Food Label
A food label acts as a mini-report card for the item you have purchased, which comes with every packaged item you buy in the market today. The label’s job is to quickly tell you everything that, as a consumer, you should know, feel safe and confident about eating it. It clearly mentions what the ingredients are inside, how much nutrient content you are getting, the ‘use-by’ date to ensure it’s fresh, and any crucial allergy warnings. As it puts all the important facts right at the front of the food label, the importance of food labels for making good choices at the store is highlighted.
Use-by vs best-before: Easiest Way to Remember
Many people mix these up, so here’s a simple tip:
- Use-by = Safety. If it’s past this date, do not consume it. This is familiar with milk, paneer, meat, and ready-to-eat meals.
- Best-before = Quality. It might still be safe after this date, but taste and texture can fall. Seen on biscuits, spices, and dry snacks.
Labels that clearly show the correct date, in the right place, reduce food waste and prevent accidental consumption of unsafe items. Prakash Label helps brands put date information where shoppers naturally look.
Look For Ingredients And Compound Ingredients
The ingredients should be arranged in descending order, with the most consumed ingredient being at the top. This simplifies the process of making comparisons between two similar products. When you receive a packet with fruit jam and the first ingredient is sugar, then you know something.
In some cases, compound ingredients are present in the label. As an example, a cookie containing chocolate can contain sugar, cocoa, and emulsifiers. Good labels either disaggregate them or provide their percentages. This minor disclosure forms a significant portion of the significance of food labelling to consumers. They desire to know what they are feeding their loved ones.
Nutrition Information Panel (NIP)
Energy (calories), protein, fat, carbohydrates, sugars, fibre, and sodium are displayed in the NIP. Comparison can best be made by considering values per 100g or per 100ml so that various serving sizes can be compared.
The use of simple labels, such as underlining the per 100g, and displaying the presence of sugars and salt in a clear way, enables the shoppers to make healthier decisions. The reason why the significance of food labels continues to increase is the growing consumer interest in health.
Allergens: Why They Must Be Obvious
The information about allergens is very important. Some of the common allergens are milk, wheat, soy, nuts, eggs, and fish. To someone with food allergies, the label with an allergen block is a life-saving measure.
Labels that bury allergen information in fine print cause real danger. Bold, separate allergen boxes or clear text are best. Prakash Label recommends allergen-first layouts for brands that care about consumer safety.
Look For Claims and Honesty
Words like “natural”, “low fat”, or “100% pure” attract buyers, but they must be true and provable. Regulators in India are increasingly strict about misleading claims. Honest, well-worded claims protect a brand from fines and consumer backlash.
This is another face of the importance of food labelling to consumers: labels should be both persuasive and truthful.
Traceability and QR Codes For Reassurance
Modern labels often include QR codes that lead to batch details, test reports, or supply chain info. This traceability creates trust in the minds of Indian shoppers who are concerned about the origin of food and its quality. Customers feel safer with durable QR codes and easy-to-use web pages, and the brands appear open.
- Easy hints on choosing healthier packaged foods.
- Select those items that have simpler ingredient lists made up of familiar names.
- Omit food items in which sugar, fat, or salt are listed in the first, second, or third position.
- Check nutrition information in 100g and not by serving.
- Look at the warning labels of clear allergens.
- Look at the use-by dates of perishable products.
These little actions demonstrate why food labels are important when doing daily shopping.
Recent Trends and Quick Facts
- About 7 in 10 Indian consumers say clear labels influence their buying choices.
- Over half of shoppers feel current labels are sometimes confusing, showing the need for simpler design.
- Indian authorities have started stricter checks on misleading claims in the last 12–18 months.
- Front-of-pack nutrition marks are gaining acceptance worldwide and are expected to expand in India, too.
Labels that are clear and honest help you stand out in a crowded market.
How Prakash Label Helps Brands And Consumers
At Prakash Label, we design and print labels that are:
- FSSAI-compliant and retail-ready
- Easy to read for everyday shoppers
- Durable for different storage conditions
- Designed to show dates, allergens, nutrition, and claims clear Labels
- Able to include QR traceability for extra trust
Make labelling that protects consumers and helps your brand win their trust. That’s the practical side of the importance of food labelling to consumers, labels that keep people safe and make buying decisions easier.
Conclusion
Food labels are not just words on a piece of paper they form a promise between the brand and the buyer. Clarity and honesty of labels safeguard health, decrease waste, and establish trust. As a food brand that operates in India, it is necessary to know the Importance of Food Labelling to Consumers. When you think of labels that are straight to the point, compliant, and custom-made to fit the real shopper, then Prakash Label should be your choice. We would be glad to make that promise loud and clear.
FAQs
1. What’s the single most important thing to check on a food label?
Check the use-by date for perishables. For other items, glance at the first three ingredients and the allergen box.
2. Are nutrition labels standard across India?
FSSAI provides rules; most products use the Nutrition Information Panel with “per 100g” values. Formats can vary, but the intent is the same.
3. How can I tell if a claim like “natural” is true?
Look for supporting details on the label or a QR code linking to ingredient or test information. Verified third-party tests add credibility.
4. Can label mistakes harm a brand?
Yes, unclear or false labels can cause health risks, returns, fines, and loss of consumer trust.
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