Hundreds of labels promise to be useful to consumers. A new app tells them if they really are.
The Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) launched a new label app at the end of April, providing better assistance to consumers when shopping.
Consumers encounter hundreds of different labels in German supermarkets on a daily basis. They ever wonder what is behind the vast amount of labels and do not know which label stands for what. Now the BMEL promises consumers to help them find their way through the huge jungle of different labels.
Ulrich Kelber, a member of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, said that the app would help consumers when deciding what to buy. Moreover, Kelber mentions that the app provides consumers with information on whether a label ensures compliance with laws, or whether the label has been invented by a company.
When using the app, consumers can choose between scanning the picture on the products or typing in the text of the label. Alternatively, they may tell the app the shape of the label, and they will be provided with a range of labels they can choose from.
Financed with 30,000€ by the Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture, the app is available in app stores, and it is for free. All consumers need to have to access the app is a smartphone and internet connection.
More than 240 labels may currently be checked for four criteria: demand, independence, control and transparency. About 350 more will be added in the course of the year.
During a test run, the app still had some minor teething problems: blurry pictures caused by food inside a plastic jacket or too dark lighting are not (yet) recognized by the app.
A great plus: if labels are confusing for consumers, they are not evaluated according to the four criteria. Instead, consumers find an explanation which tells them why the label is not evaluated.
Although the labels are explained in detail, consumers can never be 100% sure whether companies truly keep up to their promised standards. Labels such as UTZ certified, which have been under fire throughout the last years, have been declared as “recommendable”. Consumers can just hope that minimum wages for producers have been introduced and child labor has been eliminated.
The Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) launched a new label app at the end of April, providing better assistance to consumers when shopping.
Consumers encounter hundreds of different labels in German supermarkets on a daily basis. They ever wonder what is behind the vast amount of labels and do not know which label stands for what. Now the BMEL promises consumers to help them find their way through the huge jungle of different labels.
Ulrich Kelber, a member of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, said that the app would help consumers when deciding what to buy. Moreover, Kelber mentions that the app provides consumers with information on whether a label ensures compliance with laws, or whether the label has been invented by a company.
When using the app, consumers can choose between scanning the picture on the products or typing in the text of the label. Alternatively, they may tell the app the shape of the label, and they will be provided with a range of labels they can choose from.
Financed with 30,000€ by the Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture, the app is available in app stores, and it is for free. All consumers need to have to access the app is a smartphone and internet connection.
More than 240 labels may currently be checked for four criteria: demand, independence, control and transparency. About 350 more will be added in the course of the year.
During a test run, the app still had some minor teething problems: blurry pictures caused by food inside a plastic jacket or too dark lighting are not (yet) recognized by the app.
A great plus: if labels are confusing for consumers, they are not evaluated according to the four criteria. Instead, consumers find an explanation which tells them why the label is not evaluated.
Although the labels are explained in detail, consumers can never be 100% sure whether companies truly keep up to their promised standards. Labels such as UTZ certified, which have been under fire throughout the last years, have been declared as “recommendable”. Consumers can just hope that minimum wages for producers have been introduced and child labor has been eliminated.