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Food Focus August 2008

Always read the labels

Labels are a critical tool for communicating important information, none more so than those for chemical products. Reading the label should be an automatic response before using any chemicals

In the pre-Internet age the key facts about a product and how it should be used were often not available unless they were supplied with a product or were part of training in its use. Today it can be easy to assume that most information on labels is just marketing, or bureaucratic requirements or it only relates to other people. But it’s still important to read the label because you may miss that critical piece of information and could end up poisoning something or someone.

Company messages

Companies do tend to use labels as tools to market and promote their product. Hence, the prime label space is likely to be taken up with branding and marketing messages. Companies also need to supply technical information as a way of managing their own commercial risk. So you need to drill down to find the important bits.

Consumer demands

Consumers are increasingly asking for information of a non-regulatory nature, such as a product’s origin or whether it’s been genetically modified. To meet this demand, companies may put this ‘other’ information on their labels, pushing the important bits even further down.

Regulatory requirements

Regulators have to manage risks associated with the product and its use. One way they do this is by putting advice on labels for managing anything from low-level risk to significant issues that are ‘must nots’ and could result in compliance action if not followed. In addition, labels are used as a way of controlling the authenticity of a registered product, just as they do for human medicines. Registered products will have a registration statement and number, and cannot be marketed without the approved labels. Labels are carefully controlled during manufacturing to ensure they are accounted for and not applied to the wrong product.

Information overload?

The problem for the user or consumer is in assessing the importance of different parts of the label. This is made even more complex when labels have to meet the requirements of different regulations. In the case of agricultural chemicals, labels may include information required by the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Act (ACVM), the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act (HSNO), and commercial law, such as the Fair Trading Act.

Often this is far more information than we can deal with in the time available, but regulators expect labels to be read and to not do so is not a defence if something goes wrong. You won’t find the key messages highlighted in large letters on the label front because there simply isn’t room for them. In some cases, the important information may only be relevant to a few people – anyone with an acute allergy to food, for instance, will certainly read the relevant part of the label.

From a regulator’s perspective, if labels are not effective at managing risks then alternatives have to be found. Unfortunately, this may mean restricting access to qualified people with relevant training or restricting use to an approved programme.

If you use agricultural compounds or veterinary medicines at all, always take the time to read labels thoroughly at the start and become familiar with the general layout so you can find the critical bits easily later on. And always check the key facts regularly as they may change over time.