I think the discussion we have had on food labels was both  really enlightening and educational. It is a real eye opener to think about how great of an influence food labels have, and how just one icon can change a consumer’s feelings and decisions on purchasing that item. As mentioned over and over, I think it is important that consumers across the country become more educated in the agriculture industry so they know what really happens to their food, and don’t just believe something they see on social media.

I think a pro to food labeling is easily finding a useful piece of information quickly without reading the details on the back of a package. A very good point was brought up in class today regarding the Gluten Free labeling. A classmate said that it shouldn’t be allowed to have the gluten-free label on a product that cannot contain gluten at all. I think this label is important  because some people do have gluten intolerance, so they do need to know if they are consuming it. But I think this should just be for products that can come in a form that does contain gluten and was just produced to not. For example, if 2 different companies produce a product and one says gluten free and the other doesn’t, the consumer might be inclined to purchase the gluten free labeled product, even if the other product doesn’t contain gluten either! So as a con, some producers can be hurt by not including this label while their competitors do, even though it is not useful information for that specific product!