Core tip: In recent years, with the continuous emergence of food safety emergencies, people's attention to food labels has been increasing, and consumer complaints due to information labeling errors on food labels have occurred from time to time, which has also caused the state to pay attention to food labels and labeling, and introduced a series of relevant regulations and policies to standardize packaged food labels. At the same time, the development of food labels is also moving in the direction of diversification.

As consumer safety awareness continues to increase, the demand for the amount of information carried on food labels increases. In recent years, with the continuous emergence of food safety emergencies, people's attention to food labeling has been increasing, and consumer complaints due to information labeling errors on food labels have occurred from time to time, which has also caused the state to pay attention to food labeling and labeling, and introduced a series of relevant regulations and policies to standardize packaged food labeling. At the same time, the development of food labels is also moving in the direction of diversification.

Standardization, normalization

It is reported that since October 19, the mandatory national standard "GB 4806.1-2016 General Safety Requirements for Food Contact Materials" has been officially implemented. In addition, it is necessary to mark "name, material, manufacturer, address, contact information, production date, implementation standard, instructions for use" and so on. At the same time, the label cannot be separated from its smallest sales package. Products with special use requirements should indicate the method of use, precautions for use, use, use environment, use temperature, etc. The author believes that the implementation of this policy not only further refines food contact materials, but also provides a basis for the labeling of food labels.

In addition, the labeling of milk powder is becoming more and more stringent. It is understood that the Food and Drug Administration issued the "Technical Guidelines for the Specification of Formula Registration Labels for Infant Formula Milk Powder Products (Trial)", which strictly stipulates the requirements for the product name, the form of the label, the prohibitive requirements of the label and the optional labeling content of the infant formula milk powder, such as the content and function of the milk powder label. The author has been informed that the content claims and function claims should be marked in strict accordance with the provisions of the national food safety standards. If an enterprise labels content claims and functional claims other than those specified in the current national food safety standards, it can only be labeled after approval by the health administrative department of the State Council. Claims related to the label sample should be marked in text form on the non-main display page.

Digitalization and intelligence

With the continuous development of information technology, food labels are becoming more and more digital and intelligent. For this reason, traditional printing can no longer meet the needs of personalized printing and variable data printing, so the growth trend of market demand for digital printing is becoming more and more obvious. Some printing enterprises have opened the production of fully intelligent packaging labels, such as Hebei Xindong Printing, the introduction of high-end production equipment such as flexographic printing and anti-counterfeiting products, and constantly develop various anti-counterfeiting technologies to increase anti-counterfeiting functions to exquisite food and other packaging, so as to achieve the perfect combination of beauty and practicality, fashion and high-tech, and gradually realize the strategic goal of exporting high-quality packaging products overseas.

In fact, the intelligence of food packaging is mainly reflected in the label, and the barcode, two-dimensional code, etc. are common smart label applications in life. The author has been informed that the Finnish company has released a "smart" bottle of premium Caleva gin using Thinfilm's NFC SpeedTap® tag. Each SpeedTap tag is unique, nearly impossible to clone, and can be read with a smartphone or device via NFC technology, which will greatly promote consumer loyalty and brand promotion.

Smart labels can not only realize the interaction between consumers and products, but also identify the quality of food. It is understood that the Japanese design studio TO-GENKYO has invented smart labels with special coatings. The label changes color due to changes in ammonia concentration, allowing for the identification of the freshness of the food.

Green and environmentally friendly

With the continuous promotion of the concept of energy conservation and environmental protection, various fields are also actively responding, and the field of food labeling is no exception. The author understands that the greening and environmental protection of the label are mainly reflected in the material of the label. It is understood that Singapore has launched a series of green environmental protection labels. Compared to other materials, this new label is more economical and more sustainable. With the continuous progress of science and technology, as well as the concept of energy conservation and environmental protection, food labels will develop in the direction of green and environmental protection.

To this end, the author believes that with the continuous enhancement of consumer health and safety awareness, people will pay more attention to label information, and food processing enterprises and food packaging enterprises should grasp the development trend of food labeling and pay attention to the improvement of labels. At the same time, the packaging machinery manufacturing industry should also pay attention to the development trend of the food label industry and keep pace with the times, so as not to lose the direction of development.