The changing demands of specialty food labels

It can be difficult for food distributors and manufacturers to stay on top of the seemingly endless shifts in consumer demands. Today, a large percentage of the public is concerned with their diets, and are turning to healthy alternatives in record numbers. While this is a boon for specialty food producers, many challenges of properly labeling products to maximize consumer perception still remain. 

For example, for the past few years, organic items have been hot at food stores. As manufacturers reevaluated their production methods to comply with demands and focused more on pesticide and hormone-free products, the Localvore movement was gaining steam. Soon, it was not enough to let consumers know that the product was organic — they wanted it to be locally sourced, and they wanted to find that information prominently displayed on the packaging labels. 

Today, genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, are the hot-button issue for consumers that regularly purchase specialty food products. Legislation is underway in many states, most recently Vermont,  that would require manufacturers to disclose whether their product was grown with GMOs.

If companies do not remain current with the latest specialty food trends, they risk losing market share to organizations that are more conscious of the hot selling points. Additionally, if labeling regulations change and product labels no longer meet the set standard, businesses could face significant fines and loss of consumer respect and loyalty. 

These issues can be avoided with an investment in printing solutions from Durafast Labels. A color label printer such as the Afinia L801 Color Label Printer makes labeling specialty foods not only convenient, but cost-effective. Businesses will also have the option to be as colorful and detailed as possible to stay on top of market trends and catch customers’ attention.