By S. Gordon

Labels are important to both manufacturers and consumers, for it aids manufacturers in advertising their products and allows consumers to make wise purchases, in most cases consumers cannot see the contents or sample a product, as a result consumers are not aware of what the product looks like and must depend on the label for guidance.

A label can be defined as a tag, brand, mark, pictorial or descriptive matter, written, printed, impressed on, or attached to a product or item.

Every label tells a story. Reading labels is a good way to get information on what you are buying. A wise shopper reads, understands and uses the information on these labels. Labels on prepackaged goods provide factual information to assist consumers in making better choices in today’s market place. Prepackaged foods encompass a wide range of products and can be described as any goods packaged or made in advance, ready for offer to consumers without further repackaging.

A good label should have the following information:
· The common or generic name of the product e.g. hot pepper sauce
The brand name or trademark of the product e.g. Mc Queen’s hot pepper sauce
· The net quantity of the contents in the package using the metric system for e.g. 750 ml, 90g or kg.
· The name and address of the manufacturer, packager, importer, distributor. This should include the name and street address of the registered place of business.

In addition, for some products, labels should also show:-
A list of ingredients which should be in descending order of proportion/weight
· Storage conditions and
· Expiry or “best before” date, the term “best before” means that the item may not be at peak quality but may still be usable.

We would now take a closer look at the labelling requirements for the following items:-

Pneumatic tyres the following should be noted:-
- The brand name of the tyre (e.g. Goodyear tyres)
- DOT No. which is the department of transportation no. or similar marking
- Country of origin (this would be denoted by made in e.g. made in china)
- The treadwear indicator
- Maximum pressure and maximum load ratings (i.e. how much load it can withstand)
- Temperature ratings and
- Dimensional and constructional characteristics (this determines which tyre can be used
on the appropriate vehicle for e.g. 8 ply tyre for light weight trucks)

Domestic Electrical Appliances:-
- The brand name or trademark (be it Panasonic or whirlpool)
- Manufacturer or distributor (this would be indicated by the following: made by,
assembled by, distributed by, followed by the name of the company)
- The model number
- The country of origin (indicated by made in, followed by the name of the country)
- Voltage (in Grenada the common voltage would be 240)
- The frequency (which would be either 50 or 60 hertz)
- Current or power (this is the amount of watts or amps the appliances use) and
- Listing or certification mark indicated by (UL, CSA, NOM)

Prepackaged goods:-
- The brand name
- The type of item
- Name and address of manufacturer or distributor
- Country of origin (be it Japan or china)
- The contents of the good
- The composition and for
- Warnings and instructions for usage if applicable

When reading labels for garments check for:-
- The brand name
- The size of the item (small, medium or large)
- Fibre content in percentages (for e.g. 100% cotton, polyester or spandex etc.)
- Care instructions which should be permanently attached to the item and
- Country of origin

In the case of footwear we should look for:-
- Brand name
- Size
- Composition – upper & lower and
- The country of origin

For brewery products the following should be noted:
- Common name
- Any brand or trade name
- The legal name of manufacturer or brewer, together with an adequate postal address or
registered office address
- The country of origin
- Declaration of the net contents of the item
- Name and address of importer or distributor
- Alcoholic content as percentage by volume
- Best before date and
- The batch, lot number or date mark

It is required that all information displayed on labels:
- Be clean
- Prominent
- Not easily rubbed off or erased
- Easily read and
- Be firmly attached to the packaged

All labels must be in English.

For further information, you can e-mail us at: gdbs@spiceisle.com
or you can send your comments to: grenadianconnection@gmail.com