The importance of being a label

Ever wondered why a diabetes-friendly biscuit is sometimes more sweet that the regular biscuit that makes no health promises?

A close scrutiny of the label reveals more gobbledygook that regular folks may not quite understand. And so, people continue to consume such products, since the certified label indicates its safe. Only, there is this niggling thought at the back of your head: Is it really okay for someone dealing with fluctuating blood-sugar levels, to make a staple of these products?

Informal conversations with doctors reveal their discomfort too, in labels making health claims. In fact, they caution, health promises on labels give consumers a false sense of confidence, that they are consuming a “friendly” product. And that may not be in their best interest.

This bitter-sweet truth revealed from the tale of two biscuits led to a check on similar products in the real-world and online marketplace. And they were all there, dressed up and promising great health — good for your heart, reduces cholesterol, sugar alternative, grows more hair, slims you down …its endless. Covid-19 saw a slew of immunity products that filled the shelves.

Expiry dates

In the end, it all comes down to the label, and what it promises. And besides the health and nutrition promises, there is also the promise of “best before” and expiry dates — but that opens up another can of woes.

Once you have deciphered the cholesterol, sugar and salt details, its another treasure hunt for the expiry dates. Some products will tell you, it’s at the base of the cap, another will tell you the product is good for 36 months, from date of manufacture that can be found on the crimp! It almost seems like a conspiracy to wear you out, so you don’t figure out when the product actually expires.

And in more worrisome situations, the expiry date or manufacturing date actual fades out, or as this writer found out with a famous brand of Vitamic C — the details actually wash off with a little soap and water. It’s that simple, and scary.

In fact, the truth on misleading labels was put on centre-stage again by a YouTuber who subsequently had a run-in with the food-company he had named. But he’s back, doing his bit to tell consumers to close read the fine-print, and to know your sugar, even if goes by another name.

Labels tell you a product is vegan, organic, not tested on animals, etc., to cater to an audience that wants to make such ethical choices. But the point is, are they getting what the label promises?

In fact, in recent memory, India has seen two tectonic developments involving food labels — when aerated beverages did not mention pesticide residue and standards were later defined; and when a noodle major missed mentioning that MSG was not added to the product, it could occur naturally.

Labelling is going to get more tricky with genetically-modified foods, fortified-foods, etc., coming in. And multiple suggestions are being discussed from, front-of-pack labels and health ratings for food to SMS-checks and QR codes, for medicine — to navigate this space.

At the core, though, the aim should be to keep it simple. So consumers are confident that the product they buy is indeed what the label promises.

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