Category: News

A Tale of Two Labels — The Nutrition Facts label that you may read when buying packaged foods or preparing a meal has undergone a makeover. It’s been updated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reflect updated scientific findings. These changes can help you make better-informed choices about the foods you and your family eat and help you maintain a healthy diet.

Manufacturers with $10 million or more in annual food sales have until 2020 before the new label is required, and manufacturers with less than $10 million in annual food sales will have until 2021. Some manufacturers have already started using the new label. In fact, at least 10 percent of packages being sold already carry the new label.

So until the deadlines, you may see one of two different versions on packages: either the original label you’ve grown accustomed to using, or the new label.

What’s the Difference Between the Two Nutrition Facts Labels?

While both versions provide useful information, the new label reflects updated scientific information, including our greater understanding of the links between diet and chronic disease. It is also more realistic about how people eat today. Here are some of the changes:

1. The new label makes it easier if you or a member of your family is counting calories by putting the calories, the number of servings, and the serving size in larger, bolder type. We thought it was important to better highlight these numbers because nearly 40 percent of American adults are obese, and obesity is associated with heart disease, stroke, certain cancers, and diabetes.
2. FDA is required to base serving sizes on what people actually eat and drink, so serving size requirements have been adjusted to reflect more recent consumption data. This way, the nutrition information provided for each serving is more realistic. For certain packages that contain more than one serving, you will see nutrition information per serving as well as per package. That means for a pint of ice cream, calories and nutrients are listed for one serving and the whole container.
3. Added sugars are now listed to help you know how much you are consuming. The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends you consume less than 10 percent of calories per day from added sugars. That is because it is difficult to get the nutrients you need for good health while staying within calorie limits if you consume more than 10 percent of your total daily calories from added sugar.
4. Good nutrition means that you are getting the right amount of nutrients for your body to function correctly and to fight chronic diseases like obesity, heart disease, certain cancers, and type II diabetes. The FDA has updated the list of nutrients required on the label to include Vitamin D and Potassium because Americans today do not always get the recommended amounts of these nutrients. Conversely, Vitamins A and C are no longer required, because deficiencies in these vitamins are rare today, but they can be listed by manufacturers voluntarily.
5. The old label lists calories from fats, but the new label does not. The FDA made this change because research shows the type of fat consumed is more important than total fats. For example, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, such as those found in most vegetable oils and nuts, can reduce the risk of developing heart disease when eaten in place of saturated and trans fat.
6. Daily values for nutrients like sodium, dietary fiber, and Vitamin D have been updated and are used to calculate the % Daily Value (DV) that you see on the label. The % DV helps you understand the nutrition information in the context of a daily diet. The footnote at the bottom of the nutrition facts label has changed to better explain the meaning of the % DV.

During this transition, no matter which label shows up on your food package, they both provide useful information to help you and your family make informed nutrition choices and maintain healthy eating patterns.

This article was prepared by the Food and Drug Administration.

About the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)
FDA is an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services and consists of nine Centers and Offices, including Operations, Policy, Planning, Legislation & Analysis, Medical & Tobacco Products, Biologics, Radiological Health, Drug Evaluation, Food Safety,  Veterinary Medicine and Regulatory Affairs

Thermal Bar Code Printing Becomes Simpler with PermTherm direct thermal polyolefin film.

No ribbons, No coating, Exceptional Performance

What is PermTherm?

PermTherm is a white, direct thermal polyolefin film that provides an innovative single-layer substrate for thermal printing.  Sharp, durable, fade-proof images are created on PermTherm film using a standard thermal bar code printer.  The film’s print surface has excellent receptivity to many inks for pre-printed applications such as logos and color graphics.

Key Features:

• Image permanence resists fading from heat, cold, light or moisture
• Image is UV light-resistant and is estimated to last 18 months outdoors.  More expanded testing in currently in progress.
• Resistant to damage from exposure to chemicals
• Significant cost reduction when compared to thermal transfer and ribbon applications
• Permanent, removable and Ultra removable adhesives available

For what type of labels are PermTherm used?

PermTherm film can be used for pressure-sensitive labels, tickets, tags and point of sale applications.  It is ideal for both indoor and outdoor applications where chemical or water resistance is required.  This product was designed to fill a void in the mobile printing market where a paper label would not work.  We see PermTherm moving into the desktop and industrial printing market with many applications such as:  

• Retail food applications (ex: Starbucks)
• Meets FDA 21 CFR 175.105
• Consumer products
• Nursery labels (ex: Potted plants)
• Pharmaceutical
• Chemical labels
• Medical labels (ex: Medevice tray labels)
• Logistics, inventory, shipping, warehouse, pallet and tracking labels

For samples or additional information, please Email or call 888.972.5234

Ask Us About… Samples Of PermTerm Direct Thermal Labels!

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If you purchase bar code labels and tags, there are some things you should keep in mind on how to choose the right label supplier.  We want to share with you, our customers and associates, some major changes coming your way.

For many years, we have enjoyed stable pricing and reliable access to inventory and stock supplies.  Now, we are being advised there will be some shutdowns in plants that produce direct thermal labels and liner as well as substantial price increases across the board.  After the level pricing we have seen during the last five years, we are not surprised to see a material price escalation.  This news will have an affect on every business.

At PaladinID, we know our customers do not like surprises. So, you may want to adjust your 2018 budgets accordingly.  If you need a better understanding of these price changes, I would be happy to speak with you directly.

Now is a good time to evaluate your label purchases.  As they say, “Necessity is the mother of invention.”  There are many ways to reduce costs and be more efficient with your purchase of labels and label printing supplies.  At PaladinID, we are here to help our customers value-engineer their tags and labels.

Our report, How to Choose a Label Supplier, details the factors of purchasing labels and how to approach buying from a cost savings standpoint.  Over the years, we have worked with many of you to explore options that help to reduce your costs and improve your efficiencies.

This report discusses:

• Cost Savings
• Label Specifications
• Custom Labeling Solutions
• Inventory Management

There are many opportunities to be creative when it comes to purchasing labels. Reach out to us via Email or by calling at 888.972.5234 and discover all of the possibilities.  We are here to help you solve your labeling issues.

Ask Us About…Our 6 Month Blanket Order Program!

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Do you have a plan for your direct thermal label products?  The direct thermal paper industry has been a relatively stable and a growing over the past 5 years.  We are seeing more new applications in the mobile market than ever before.  There were two major announcements over the past couple of weeks.  The first, one of the largest providers of direct thermal receipt paper just filed bankruptcy.  Second,  it was announced earlier this month that one of the world’s largest suppliers of Leuco dyes, an essential ingredient of thermal paper, has been temporarily closed by the Chinese government for “environmental reasons”, and is expected to remain closed for at least three months.

As a result of this plant closure, there is expected to be a worldwide thermal paper shortage that could last until mid-2018.  The biggest impact of this will be felt in the receipt paper market, and most thermal paper mills have already put their converter customers on allocation for their lightweight 2.1 and 2.3 mil “economy grades”.  As we have multiple suppliers for these grades, coupled with the fact that this is not a major part of our business, we do not expect these allocations to impact our ability to service those of our customers who buy these products.

This dye shortage will, however, result in price instability for all thermal paper grades for the foreseeable future.  In fact, this past Friday we received notification of a 9% increase in the 2.1 and 2.3 mil grades and a 6% increase on all other grades.  At present, these increases only relate to receipt, tag, and ticket grades.  As of today, we have not received any increase announcements from our Direct Thermal label suppliers, though these will likely be forthcoming at any time.  It is also very likely that we could see multiple direct thermal media price increases over the course of the next several months.

With our demand at this point, PaladinID will be ok with the materials on hand.  Our vendors have secured materials for our consumption as we are one of the largest suppliers of receipt paper to the market.  We will work with you to forecast and setup blanket orders so there will be no disruption in your business.  We have time now to plan and put a strategy in place for you.  Give us a call 888.972.5234 or send us an Email, we are here to help keep your business running smoothly.

It will be interesting to see what new ideas and innovation comes of this news.

PaladinID’s commitment to saving you time and money, while ensuring your product labels maintain the highest level of quality, accuracy, and consistency, is what differentiates us from the competition. PaladinID has created and supported high-performance labeling solutions in many diverse fields all over the world. If you have any questions or need additional information,
please email or give us a call at 888.972.5234 we are here to help.

Ask Us About… Samples Of Direct Thermal Receipt Paper Or Labels!

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