It's been quite the journey from an era where food items bore no nutritional labels to now, where food label software is the go-to labelling tool for food companies.
Food Labeling: The Evolution
As recently as 1993, the average buyer knew what they preferred between sweetened corn and oats for breakfast. They could walk into the store and pick their favourite cereal without giving it much thought. No one stopped to read the food label because it largely didn't exist. Few food items had nutrient content labels, but this information usually only listed calories and maybe the amount of sodium the product contained. Manufacturers who provided these details did so voluntarily. That is until 1994 when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) required food manufacturers to include a Nutrition Facts label on most food products.
Two decades later, food companies have embraced the use of food label software because of how it simplifies the whole labelling process. With software, calculating the nutrient concentrations per given food unit becomes easy, and it's possible to get a breakdown of each ingredient into its base components. Many companies offer such software solutions today, with Genesis being top of mind for many consumers interested in this topic. But the brand is not the only player, and it's worth exploring reliable Genesis R&D alternatives and other food label software options in the digital era.
Why Food Label Software Is the Future
Labelling tools revolutionised the food label space. And there is every indication the software is here for the long haul. It's had a positive impact on the industry, including:
Easy Access to Nutrient Data
Top food label software has an expansive database of nutrient information. So, companies won't feel stuck when they list recipes or ingredients for items in their product catalogues, as the software already has the nutritional details of these ingredients. Without software, it would be taxing to research and add nutrient content for each ingredient.
Affordable
The alternative to food label software would be laboratory-based nutritional analysis. Here, companies or individuals running a food business must send product samples to a certified lab for analysis. It's a more expensive option. Many owner-operators and small businesses would struggle to stay afloat if they had to rely on lab analysis for every product they intended to package.
Or they would need to rely on an existing authoritative nutrient database, such as the National Nutrient Database by the USDA, to calculate the nutrients in each ingredient. You'd then compute all the data and design the label or hire a graphics designer to do it for you.
Software food labelling solutions are an affordable alternative that helps reduce production costs, allowing many people to expand or scale their businesses. With the considerable price differences between software, it's easy to find an ESHA Genesis alternative that gives satisfactory nutrient analysis and results.
Accurate
Food label software is highly accurate in that it gives the precise amount of nutrients in a specified quantity of product. If a food item contains wheat flour, the software will indicate the compounds making up the flour and their respective nutritional value. Most software will have the types of wheat flour commonly found in the marketplace already populated in its database. So, producers only need to choose from a menu the type of flour used to prepare the product, and the software will reveal its nutrient content.
Helps with Compliance
Food label digital tools are made with the FDA nutritional labelling guidelines in mind. Therefore, using the tool helps you stay compliant with FDA requirements regarding:
- Serving size
- Number of servings
- The nutrients in one serving of the product
- Calories per serving
- Calories from saturated fat and total fat
Many food label software alternatives have all the categories and details that need filling in per the FDA. So, there is minimal risk of leaving out crucial information that could make your nutrition information label substandard.
Enhances Transparency
The use of labelling software enhances transparency between food companies and consumers. The software reveals all the nutritional content of a given ingredient—the good, the bad, and the ugly. It will not hide the not-so-desirable ingredients, and there is no room for manipulation. This enhanced transparency can increase the trust consumers have in food brands. Businesses can take advantage of this to improve their relationship with customers.
What Defines Good Food Label Software?
There are differences in how food label software works. Each comes with a different set of features, too. These differences in function, some subtle and others obvious, can determine how reliable the software is. Labelling software that stands the test of time should have the following defining features:
Scalability and Flexibility
The best labelling software allows businesses to process data across devices and, where possible, without an internet connection. Such flexibility enables business operators to run a streamlined exercise where any department and employee who wants to access the label can do so from their devices. Should the business choose to expand, it should be easy to add more customised labels as needed.
Pro-Regulation Compliance
Good labelling software ensures compliance across all regulatory requirements. It includes the following fields, among others:
- List of nutrients that should be declared and in the required format
- Use of correct reference values
- Dual column labelling where applicable
- Allergen declarations
One can easily make changes or add information as required to meet regulatory standards.
User Friendly
Food label software should be simple to operate to ensure correct usage. The developers behind the best software create a clean interface with a simplified menu and strategically located icons and buttons. The Help section is easy to find, and where users require personalised assistance, the Help team is on standby 24/7.
Final Thoughts
Food labelling software has made it easy for brands to declare the nutritional content of their products as stipulated by the FDA. This software is easy to use, offers flexibility, provides centralised access to nutrition data and enhances compliance.
