Reading the back label of food products is important.
We all know marketing sells. It’s all around us. Often, it’s about how it’s sold more than what is actually for sale. Nowhere is it truer than in food.
We are drawn to an exciting label. Manufacturers go to great links to get our attention. They fight for shelf space and location. Easy to see and easy to reach.
Color draws us. So do bright and shiny. That plain package doesn’t leave the shelf as often. What is said and how that’s done is very important. I’ve served on a number of panels, and it’s always critical as to the wording being chosen. A little tweak here and there helps get our attention. Once that happens, it increases the chances we will buy.
Is all that really important? Must be. Food manufacturers spend millions making it happen. The amount of money laid out in this process alone means it is paramount. Illustrations and even photographs are all over the products.
Do I fall for the marketing hype? Of course I do. I look at the package that gets my attention. Hopefully, I’ll look at some more of them too. Yet some of the dull plus bottom shelf dwellers go unnoticed.
What I try to do every time is read the back of the package. Sometimes I do that first. It’s very important. Why not go ahead and do it?
The back has accurate information. It tells us what we’re going to eat. Not what somebody wants us to hear about it. Just because the label says “tasty,” doesn’t mean it’s true.
