Small Yet Mighty: The Essential Role of Food Labels
While labels and ticketing form the smallest physical component in most food to-go presentations, they play an essential role. In this post we discuss the ways in which labeling can help foodservice providers better communicate with their customers and the many benefits this presents to consumer and provider alike.
As a foodservice operator, labeling can land you in all sorts of hot water - legally speaking - if you’re not compliant with the latest labeling legislation. Meanwhile, for some allergen sufferers, poor labeling can quite literally be a matter of life or death so the importance of correctly labeling your products should never be underestimated. However it's not all doom and gloom as foodservice operators can reap many rewards from labeling too. And, where done correctly, good labeling will enhance your product presentation and support your overarching brand helping you to secure more sales. Not bad for a sticky little piece of paper!
Communication, Communication, Communication
Labels tell your customers everything they need to know about your food and drink products - it’s their modus operandi, their very reason to be. Consumers have discerning tastes and broadly speaking most people won't want to wing it with pot luck guessing games or Russian roulette - especially if they’ve, say, a fatal peanut allergy. Besides, come lunchtime, most consumers have three minutes and counting to grab their sandwich and get out of dodge. No one wants to get stuck trying to decipher ‘tofu’ from ‘turkey’ or hanging about in slow moving queues. The consumer's need for speed can be great news for sandwich and snack providers too, as long as products are suitably labeled which allows the provider to make their grab and go food products in advance ahead of the rush. This way, when the footfall does accelerate, transaction times are just as quick which helps you to see more happy customers through the door.
Presentation, Presentation, Presentation
You know the phrase ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’? When it comes to food and drink products that pretty much goes out the window. Because a sandwich that looks bad, that has spoiled in some way, is far less appealing than one that has not - it’s biological, we’re just programmed that way. This same principles applies to other things associated with the sandwich too, such as the box it’s packaged up in and the label it carries. Of course a poorly presented sub does not a bad lunch make, at least not necessarily. And most of us are capable of seeing beyond a limp lettuce leaf or a typo on pack to the true product within. This said, consuming something that somebody else has made for you does require a certain amount of trust by anyone’s standards. Therefore a smudged, handwritten label is not only time consuming – nigh on impossible – for the consumer to read, it doesn’t exactly scream professionalism which might make some consumers wonder about the standards of the provider in general, where else might they have cut corners or slipped up. (While we’re talking trust, it’s worth noting that a label can be applied to form a tamper evident strip. This offers the consumer total peace of mind that the turkey sub they’ve selected has not been man handled by anyone else).
Then we get to the philosophical side of presentation (stick with us on this) when consumers start to ponder those big-life questions such as 'what do I believe in – who represents my values, my tribe?’ and suddenly your brand identity becomes everything. Some of you may be saying, "Come on, it’s just a label on a turkey sub," and a portion of American consumers will 100% agree with you. Though you can bet your bottom dollar that this same group will have certain expectations about that turkey sub too, most likely that it remains below a certain price point and / or offers plenty of bang for its buck.
Much More than a Pretty Face
A well-presented label is as much in the interest of the foodservice provider as it is the consumer’s. It sends a clear and instant message about your company serving to strengthen your ethos and brand as well as providing the perfect platform for offers and other key marketing messaging. For example labeling can highlight seasonal offers or the use (likewise the omission) of a specific ingredient. Design-wise labels can be set up to incorporate your corporate colors and logo which helps to build a more consistent brand in-store and underpin brand values. This is also true for products taken off-site which promote your business far and wide and, as above, enhance brand recognition and help convey brand ethos.
Another huge plus for professional labeling is that it saves the foodservice operator time. That may sound like an oxymoron if you’re not the most technically minded individual, or perhaps using specialist catering labeling software for the first time. However handwriting even a dozen labels a day soon adds up whereas a good label printing program (such as ours) helps you to set up your products first then you simply press print as and when you need. Sure, you have to set the products up first, but our labeling software LabelLogic Live has been specifically designed to be flexible and easy to use and comes with a whole host of support should you get stuck.
What Should My Food Labels Include?
Broadly speaking most food labels will include some combination of the following information:
- Title – this should be printed in a clear, large font
- Description – highlighting speciality breads and ingredients
- Allergens – this allows your customers to make safe food choices
- Nutritional Information – there is a growing desire, sometimes medical need, amongst consumers to know what’s in their food, by including nutri data your customers can make informed food and drink choices that support their lifestyle
- Barcoding – barcode labels can aid a faster check out and stock replenishment
- Logo – maximise your branding by introducing it to as many of your products as you are able creating more consistent branding and enhancing your overarching brand values
- Health or Dietary Messages – each consumer is different and brings their own unique set of wants and needs to the table. Help them to identify the products that suit those needs by including (legislatively compliant) target messaging on pack
- Place Made – AKA ‘provenance, provenance, provenance’, consumers want to know where their food was made almost as much as what’s inside of it
- Use By – so consumers know how fresh the product is and how long it will last
The legal requirements for labeling vary depending on the type of business you operate and the products you sell. You can find more information about labeling legislation here. At the bare minimum you should look to include a product name, use by date and price as best practise. Likewise your food and drink labels should also be easy to read utilizing a simple font and uncomplicated layout, there is no need to over design. This said additional information if not required by law can help to sell you products to specific, targeted markets.
What Labeling Options Are There?
There are lots of options for labeling your food to-go items, working out which one is best for you very much depends on your own specific requirements.
- Sheet v's Roll – this decision should be made based on quantity as you’ll need a thermal transfer printer to print on rolls and the cost for said printers starts at around $700. Realistically speaking you need to be producing at least 1000+ products a day to justify the purchase. If using sheet labels, our software overprints the labels using a standard desktop printer, if you do not have one already you can one for up for as little as a $100
- Stock v’s Bespoke – not a million miles away from buying your clothes ‘off the peg’ or having them tailor made, both have their merits, it just depends on your preference and budget. We’ve created 10 ‘off the peg’ stock label designs which have been developed to work with a range of products and branding, you can even use LabelLogic Live to add your own logo and messaging to really make it your own. Alternatively, if you want something that is truly unique to your business, our design team can create a bespoke label or labeling just for you. Our custom designed labels come with a minimum order quantity of 10 boxes, our sales team can give you information regarding costs. If you’re selling relatively low volumes of products and / or still growing your business, we’d suggest starting out with stock labels then reviewing every six months or so as you can always move over to custom labeling further down the line as your business needs develop
- Matt v’s Gloss – which material to choose? In many ways this one’s down to personal preference, the finish you like best and what is most in keeping with your brand. It is worth noting however, that gloss labels can only be printed using laser printers so if you’ve a burning desire to go gloss but only have an inkjet printer, you will need to purchase a second printer
- Shape, Color and Branding – as with finish above, the design of your labels is really up to you and what best reflects your foodservice operation. A few pointers:
- Shape - square or rectangular labels usually offer the biggest print area so if you’ve a lot of information to include, or want to max out the space with extra-large fonts or logos, choose a label with four corners
- Color - this is an excellent opportunity to support your brand (see below) so your corporate colors should be your first port of call (we match our bespoke labeling using the Pantone color system). However, you may also wish to differentiate different ranges – such as value and premium or meat and fish – and colored labels can be especially handy for doing so. We’d also recommend taking a look at your interior and other surroundings as certain colors may jar with one another which is fine if that’s your intention but best avoided if you’re trying to stick to a matching color pallet
- Branding - labeling gives you the means to apply your brand to as many of your food and drink products as you choose (see Not Just a Pretty Face above). We recommend including your logo and corporate colors then watch as they are taken far and wide.