BSLabels In the Marketplace

By dealing direct with our customers on a custom raised basis, you know what’s in your food and how it was raised. In today’s environment of food laws, labeling claims and lawsuits, sometimes not all label claims are what they seem.We talked about food labels and food choices & factory labels. We posted a humorous look at the local label earlier this year.

A recent post about labeling of a peanut butter jar started a discussion. It the quest for food competition do we really need everything labeled?

People like labels. We pondered this over a year ago in a post right here about defining food. We’ve even taken on corporations in looking at honesty and ethics in labels and branding when it seems less than honest.

We strive forward as open and transparent as we can be. Some say too much so. So when we saw the peanut butter post it brought up many things that make us question what people want on labels. Some want everything labeled but there isn’t enough room to READ everything on a label on many packages as is.

There’s others that, like the peanut butter, phrase the normal as something special because it’s what people want to hear and gets you to buy it. It’s like hormone free milk and chicken (both have natural hormones – required for life and milk production!). No *added* hormones may be splitting hairs but is more accurate. Chicken injected with water (which makes it heavier, and sold by the pound makes a difference) is still natural, as it’s a natural ingredient used.

It made me start looking around at labels. Understanding that many have food allergies that can make a bite of the wrong thing into a battle for life, but at what point does common sense enter in.

For example consider this:

These are not something we buy regularly. With things tight and so much going towards the expansion, it was at a trip to a ‘salvage store’ with discounted food that it caught my eye. They were less than the price of a candy bar so I got some for a treat. I thought of the #BSlabel event and looked closer.

Who would have thought that milk chocolate peanut butter cups contained milk and peanuts?! Especially after the ingredients listed peanuts. I buy peanut butter things expecting that, yes, there are peanuts in it…does it really need to be labeled? I’m sure that those who have the misfortune of being allergic also understand the ingredient label listing peanuts.

I then found a box of tortillas, which we keep on hand for wrap breakfasts, quick dinners and other treats. Scoutman prefers the flour ones, rather than corn ones so when I saw some for 49 cents I started digging.

The label at the top got me first –

No cholesterol – really? With no meat products or other cholesterol ingredients that’s a surprise?  I suppose that’s invalidated to put some beef in it or eggs, sausage and salsa. :-)Then I flipped it over.

Now I’m aware of different types of flour. I did think that most people understood that unless otherwise mentioned flour was made of wheat. That could possibly be an oversight.

Then there’s the marketing sign on boneless chicken dinners two for 89 cents. It pictured something like this:

Is it witty? Deceptive? Annoying? What do you think? How many #BSlabels do you see? How many should be common sense – but aren’t? And how many simply highlight the normal to sell to customers who don’t know?

A basic thing from SlowMoneyFarm with our custom farm shares. The above are eggs. Boneless chicken dinners may be a funny way to put it but how funny is $4.75/dozen? When you get beef – you will have meat. When you order a dressed turkey or chicken it’s wise to handle it with food safety in mind.

Common sense food. We like it – and we think others do too. No #BSlabels needed.