聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 Labelling has become a confusing element of the food sector.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The situation has been made confusing by legislators not trusting science, a public antsy over anything it doesn鈥檛 fully understand and companies caught trying to appease everyone to ensure market share.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 We have seen the confusion grow as genetically modified crops have come to market and as the niche market of consumers who believe organic food is their best choice to put on the family dinner table came into 小蓝视频.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Now the industry should always keep the adage of the customer always 小蓝视频 right, but you have to be aware, at least as legislators, that consumers are often making choices based in large part on emotion.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 So the question becomes how much labelling should consumers expect on a product in the grocery store?
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Most consumers, I would suggest, read such labels with a cursory glance, if at all.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Most consumers will be far more concerned with the price sticker, as they look to balance good food for the table with budgets stretched to the max.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Still, we do need labelling, labels which provide data which has been confirmed by good science, and protected by the diligence if publicly funded watchdogs such as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in our country.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 On a side note, food safety, including labelling requirements, clearly needs to be a federal responsibility. It would make no sense to have one set of requirements in Alberta, and another in Nova Scotia.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 That is, however, the reality in the United States where the state of Vermont legislated genetically modified (GM) labelling requirements specific to that state.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Can you imagine the issues which could arise in terms of marketing if even a dozen states legislated differing requirements?
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 But back to the basic question: what should consumers reasonably expect?
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The short answer is that everything in the store follows established safety standards and is safe for consumers.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 After that labelling is largely to ensure food safety for consumers with specific needs, peanut allergies coming to mind, and secondly to let consumers make choices based on personal preferences.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The second area of labelling of course is the one which could lead to every package having a book attached to it.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 We have those seeking GM labelling, although science would suggest there is no difference.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Others want country of origin labelling as a way to support farmers in their own country, although where is the country of origin of bread baked in the United States, with ingredients imported from Australia, using canola oil from Canada, etc.?
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Then there is religious labelling, whether as an example something is kosher, and the chapters in the labelling book grow ever longer.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Information is the base of knowledge, and knowledge allows for better decisions, but at the root of it all is the need to trust in the science and system behind our food, for without that trust buying groceries suddenly becomes a very scary undertaking, labels or not.
