Understanding the Different Types of Regulatory Labels and Their Importance
What are regulatory labels?
Regulatory labels are primarily used to guarantee that products have been tested and manufactured to meet industry standards. They also help to ensure consumer safety by providing important information regarding use. Here are some common reasons why regulatory labels are used:
- To identify a product and provide information about it
- To provide instructions for using a product
- To provide warnings about potential hazards of using a product
Types of Regulatory Labels
USDA
The United States Department of Agriculture has developed standards and guidance for labeling meat, poultry, and egg products to ensure that all labels are truthful and not misleading to consumers.
GHS Solutions
The Globally Harmonized System (GHS) is an international system that the United Nations created for the unified classification and labeling of chemicals. It is designed to ensure that workers understand the specific hazards related to certain chemicals used or handled.
UDI Labels
UDI compliance requires that medical devices carry a unique device identifier. The goal of these labels is to help improve patient safety, modernize device postmarket surveillance, and facilitate medical device innovation.
UL/CSA
Electronics require special labels to comply with the safety standards set forth by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and the Canadian Standards Association (CSA). Once a product has passed these standards, a company can promote their adherence to safety by displaying a UL/CSA mark.
The importance of product labeling compliance
From warnings advising users on proper product usage for hazardous materials to government certifications, regulatory labels must clearly communicate information and are often produced to very specific specifications.
In the food and beverages industry, labels provide consumers with important information about the products they are eating, such as the ingredients, nutrition facts, allergens, alcohol content, et cetera. For medications, labels depict active ingredients, dosage and administration, side effects, and instructions for use.
This information is crucial to maintain the safety and well-being of consumers. Insufficient labeling or failure to comply with labeling regulations puts consumers’ health and lives at risk and has the potential for serious consequences.
Different industries all have unique regulations for their labels, and navigating the specifications for your regulatory labels can be overwhelming. Impact Label has the expertise and custom printing technology to produce regulatory and safety labels to the specifications that your product requires. We never compromise on quality, and we can work with you to create something that reflects your brand’s image. Call us for a custom quote.