Core Tip: In recent years, with the continuous emergence of food safety incidents, people's attention to food labels has been increasing. Complaints from consumers due to errors in the information marked on food labels have occurred from time to time, which has also attracted the government's attention to food labels and markings, leading to the introduction of a series of relevant regulations and policies to standardize packaged food labels. At the same time, the development of food labels is also moving towards diversification.

 As consumers' safety awareness continues to increase, the demand for the amount of information carried on food labels has strengthened. In recent years, with the continuous emergence of food safety incidents, people's attention to food labels has been increasing. Complaints from consumers due to errors in the information marked on food labels have occurred from time to time, which has also attracted the government's attention to food labels and markings, leading to the introduction of a series of relevant regulations and policies to standardize packaged food labels. At the same time, the development of food labels is also moving towards diversification.

 Standardization, normalization

 It is reported that starting from October 19, the mandatory national standard "GB 4806.1-2016 General Safety Requirements for Food Contact Materials" will be officially implemented. From this, I learned that disposable packaging products that come into direct contact with food must be labeled with "For food contact" or "For food packaging". In addition, it must also indicate "Name, Material, Manufacturer, Address, Contact Information, Production Date, Implementation Standards, Usage Instructions", etc. At the same time, the label cannot be separated from its minimum sales packaging. Products with special usage requirements should specify usage methods, precautions, applications, usage environment, usage temperature, etc. I believe that the implementation of this policy further refines food contact materials while also providing a basis for the labeling of food labels.

 In addition, the labeling of milk powder has become increasingly strict. It is understood that the State Food and Drug Administration has issued the "Technical Guidelines for the Labeling of Infant Formula Milk Powder Product Formula Registration (Trial)" which strictly regulates the requirements for product names on infant formula milk powder labels, the form of labels, prohibitive requirements for labels, and other labeling requirements such as optional labeling content, such as the content and function of milk powder labels. I learned that content claims and function claims must be labeled strictly according to the wording specified in the national food safety standards. If a company labels content claims and function claims that are outside the current national food safety standards, they must be approved by the health administrative department of the State Council before they can be labeled. Claims involved in the label sample should be indicated in text form on non-primary display areas.

 Digitalization, intelligence

 With the continuous development of information technology, food labels are becoming increasingly digital and intelligent. Therefore, traditional printing can no longer meet the needs of personalized printing and variable data printing, so the market demand for digital printing is becoming increasingly obvious. Some printing companies have started fully intelligent packaging label production, such as Hebei Xindong Printing introducing high-end production equipment such as flexographic printing products and anti-counterfeiting products, continuously developing various anti-counterfeiting technologies, adding anti-counterfeiting functions to exquisite food packaging, achieving a perfect combination of aesthetics and practicality, fashion and high technology, and gradually realizing the strategic goal of exporting high-quality packaging products overseas.

 In fact, the intelligence of food packaging is mainly reflected in the labels, and barcodes, QR codes, etc. are common applications of intelligent labels in daily life. I learned that a Finnish company has released a "smart" bottle of high-end Karelian gin using Thinfilm's NFC SpeedTap? label. Each SpeedTap label has uniqueness and is almost impossible to clone. Through NFC technology, it can be read using a smartphone or device, which will greatly enhance consumer loyalty and brand promotion.

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

 Greenization, environmental protection

 With the continuous promotion of energy-saving and environmental protection concepts, various fields are actively responding, and the food label field is no exception. I learned that the greenization and environmental protection of labels are mainly reflected in the materials of the labels. It is understood that Singapore has launched a series of green and environmentally friendly labels. Compared with other materials, this new type of label is more economical and more suitable for sustainable development. With the continuous advancement of science and technology, as well as the dual influence of energy-saving and environmental protection concepts, food labels will develop towards greenization and environmental protection.

 Therefore, I believe that as consumers' health and safety awareness continues to strengthen, people will pay more attention to label information, and food processing enterprises and food packaging enterprises should grasp the development trend of food labels 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 to avoid losing the direction of development.