Optimize Your Breakfast Food Labels

_{Ian Renton  | 02/02/2016 | Food Labels}

Last week, as students were going back to school, the importance of eating breakfast was being emphasised in the media. It seems that the trend of students skipping breakfast is increasing. In some regions, up to one in four students are skipping breakfast. This is causing problems at school and no doubt also in the work place. You have probably heard the saying that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. According to the Dietitians Association of Australia, there are several benefits of eating a hearty breakfast in the morning.

• You can maintain a healthy weight as you will have less temptation to eat fatty snacks during the day.
• It provides you with energy and replenishes your carbohydrate levels after several hours without food.
• Eating breakfast also improves alertness, concentration, mental performance, mood and memory.

Reference - http://daa.asn.au/for-the-public/smart-eating-for-you/nutrition-a-z/breakfast/

Typical breakfasts may include cereal or eggs. However, there are so many other choices and if you provide food that could be consumed at breakfast time, then you need to use that as a selling point because dietitians recommend eating well at breakfast time. In other words, use your food labels to educate your customers.

There are lots of examples of breakfast food labels. Below are a few.

1. Honey Labels as honey is typically a breakfast food as it goes perfectly with toast in the morning.
2. Jam Labels for jam, a common breakfast food with toast but is also served with scones for morning or afternoon tea.
3. Juice Labels. Fruit juice is typically consumed at breakfast time and is a source of carbohydrate. Be careful you do not drink too much fruit juice though as generally fruit juice is high in sugar.
4. Labels for tinned food such as baked beans or even tinned fruit. Not everyone likes cereal, so these foods provide a good alternative.
5. Labels for milk. Milk with cereal or tea or coffee or even in a glass for drinking is a healthy alternative to fruit juice.

When printing breakfast food labels, be aware of food labelling laws. You must make sure your food labels are legal. Then, take advantage of the importance of eating a hearty breakfast in your sales pitch. This is where the money is. Here are some examples of what could be included.

• Contents of your products. Emphasise the type of products used. E.g. from Australian bees or cattle or fruit.
• Percentages of ingredients. This is a statutory requirement.
• Your brand and contact details.
• A short phrase explaining the benefits of your products.
• The type of product. E.g. flavours.
• Size of bottle or jar in millilitres or grams.
• Appropriate use of colour, fonts, photos and other images.