Grocery stores are an interesting place to spend a Saturday afternoon, especially when samples are available. Hundreds of people, thousands of food jars and countless labels fill the space. With so much information floating around what actually creeps into the consciousness of a consumer? Read about how ethical labels on food jars communicate more than you think.
A Packaging Digest article "Fair-trade food labels can befuddle shoppers," explains how special descriptions on food jars, like labels categorizing products as "organic", "fair-trade" or "locally made" could be sending the wrong message to consumers. Based on studies from the University of Michigan, ethical-based labels on food jars are often thought of as being more health-friendly than those without similar labels. With that rationale you could eat all the chocolate in the world as long as it was from Jimmy's Chocolate shop just down the street.
Before you try to fly off a bridge (hey, if cookies won't leave an inch on our waistlines as long as we buy them from Uncle Joe down the street, who knows what we're capable of!) let's break this low calorie assumption down. At first glance I thought a design similarity, connecting low calorie or low-fat food labels and the fair-trade label must be to blame, imaging that customers bought based on visual memory and similarity.
As understandable as the similar looking label mix-up could be, it turns out that's not the reason for this misappropriation. Nope, the misunderstanding goes deeper than face-value. According to the study, it seems that consumers recognize the labels on food jars for what they are (ex: locally made, fair-trade products, organic), but subconsciously apply thoughts of nutrition and health to the product.
How could a consumer come to the conclusion that food jars filled through the work of strong (and fairly-compensated) hands could alone make a product healthier for consumption? Maybe it's not as far-fetched as it sounds. Think about your favorite homemade treat. You never think about the calories you're ingesting when eating Grandma's homemade ice cream. Ok, maybe you do, but if you watch the toppings you'll be fine. The truth is, there's no rational explanation for this type of thinking, yet it's happening on a large scale.
Controlling the mind of consumers may be the ultimate purpose and objective of marketers everywhere, but luckily none have quite made it there yet. Though the particular labels on food jars have increased sales it's obviously not in reflection of brand efforts. Somewhere between production and purchase value messages have become convoluted. How can companies more articulately and clearly communicate the messages on their labels to consumers?
A company known as Which? in the UK released a study called, "Making Sustainable Food Choices Easier," which explores the idea of making eco-friendly labeling on food jars easier for everyday consumers to understand. The points discussed in the study could also be of value to those interested in using an ethical label on food jars. The run down includes keeping things simple, making sure the label stands out so it can have the most impact, consistently placing the label in a designated spot on each of the food jars so it is automatically noticed and understood and making sure the information included on the label is based on fact.
If you've spent this much time and effort on the development of your product it must be something special. Whether it's made from organic goods, in a local environment or through a fair-trade union, it should be represented as the valuable product that it is. Remember to keep these insights in mind when crafting an ethics-based label for your food jars.
A Packaging Digest article "Fair-trade food labels can befuddle shoppers," explains how special descriptions on food jars, like labels categorizing products as "organic", "fair-trade" or "locally made" could be sending the wrong message to consumers. Based on studies from the University of Michigan, ethical-based labels on food jars are often thought of as being more health-friendly than those without similar labels. With that rationale you could eat all the chocolate in the world as long as it was from Jimmy's Chocolate shop just down the street.
Before you try to fly off a bridge (hey, if cookies won't leave an inch on our waistlines as long as we buy them from Uncle Joe down the street, who knows what we're capable of!) let's break this low calorie assumption down. At first glance I thought a design similarity, connecting low calorie or low-fat food labels and the fair-trade label must be to blame, imaging that customers bought based on visual memory and similarity.
As understandable as the similar looking label mix-up could be, it turns out that's not the reason for this misappropriation. Nope, the misunderstanding goes deeper than face-value. According to the study, it seems that consumers recognize the labels on food jars for what they are (ex: locally made, fair-trade products, organic), but subconsciously apply thoughts of nutrition and health to the product.
How could a consumer come to the conclusion that food jars filled through the work of strong (and fairly-compensated) hands could alone make a product healthier for consumption? Maybe it's not as far-fetched as it sounds. Think about your favorite homemade treat. You never think about the calories you're ingesting when eating Grandma's homemade ice cream. Ok, maybe you do, but if you watch the toppings you'll be fine. The truth is, there's no rational explanation for this type of thinking, yet it's happening on a large scale.
Controlling the mind of consumers may be the ultimate purpose and objective of marketers everywhere, but luckily none have quite made it there yet. Though the particular labels on food jars have increased sales it's obviously not in reflection of brand efforts. Somewhere between production and purchase value messages have become convoluted. How can companies more articulately and clearly communicate the messages on their labels to consumers?
A company known as Which? in the UK released a study called, "Making Sustainable Food Choices Easier," which explores the idea of making eco-friendly labeling on food jars easier for everyday consumers to understand. The points discussed in the study could also be of value to those interested in using an ethical label on food jars. The run down includes keeping things simple, making sure the label stands out so it can have the most impact, consistently placing the label in a designated spot on each of the food jars so it is automatically noticed and understood and making sure the information included on the label is based on fact.
If you've spent this much time and effort on the development of your product it must be something special. Whether it's made from organic goods, in a local environment or through a fair-trade union, it should be represented as the valuable product that it is. Remember to keep these insights in mind when crafting an ethics-based label for your food jars.
About the Author:
Food jars are a great packaging option for edible goods. Read Kayla Holman's post on effectively labeling food jars.
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