Get Clear About 22 Common Food Package Symbols Mean

Every country in the world has relative standards to the food packages’ design, some symbols are must printed. They can help the consumers to clearly know your products and help safeguard both parties’ legitimate rights and interests better. As the manufacturer, it is necessary to learn about the symbols and determine which products need. Let’s see the following 21 types of common food package symbols and what are they mean.

Food Package Symbols About Certification

There are many certification marks about food, include the national law required and certified by relative organizations. Typically, they will be set on the most conspicuous position of the food package.

Kosher Certification

Judaism got lots of strict requirements for food. For avoiding to violate the tenets and lead to disputes, especially for the foods with uneasy-identify ingredients. Jew can confidence buying the food with the Kosher certification symbol on the package.

OK Kosher Certification

Certified by KOSHER, make sure the food complies with a strict policy of kosher food laws, including cleanliness, purity, and quality.

OU Kosher Certification

Certified by The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America (the “Orthodox Union”)

OU Kosher Certification Symbols for Pareve, Dairy, and Meat Categorizations

• The products are Pareve (contain neither milk nor meat ingredients). OU Pareve may contain fish or eggs.
• The products are Dairy. These products either contain dairy ingredients or have been processed on dairy equipment.
• The products are Meat/Poultry. Alternatively, they may contain meat/poultry ingredients or have been processed on meat equipment.

Halal Food Certification

Package with this symbol means that the food complies with the policy of the Koran, both the ingredients and processing methods. Many Islamic states only allow food with Halal certification to sell on the shelf.

QS Mark

The QS(quality standard) mark is a Chinese quality and safety mark for food, beverages, and other products. Introduced in 2003, it is managed by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine. The license is required for many product categories if they are both manufactured and sold in China.

Rainforest Alliance Certified

A certification from the Rainforest Alliance, expresses this product or ingredient using methods that support the three pillars of sustainability: social, economic, and environmental.

Fair Trade Certified

Certified by Fair Trade USA®. Product with this symbol meets rigorous social, environmental, and economic standards. Also means:

• Safe working conditions
• Environmental protection
• Sustainable livelihoods
• Community Development Funds

Food Characteristics

To mark the food characteristics on the package is to satisfying the law sometimes. Still, most of the time, they are for improving the sale.

USDA Organic

Certified by USDA. This means the product is 100% organic, or the non-organic ingredients content is lower than 5%.

Non-GMO Project

The Non-GMO Project is a non-profit organization that provides third-party labels to the product cultivated without gene engineering, North America only. The products with this symbol on the package mean the genetically modified ingredients less than 1%.

Certified Vegan

This is a symbol that is distributed and recognized globally. For products that do not contain animal products or byproducts and that have not been tested on animals. The certified logo is easily visible to consumers interested in vegan products and helps vegans to shop without constantly consulting ingredient lists.

Gluten-Free Certification

This symbol was created by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO.) It indicates that the food inside the package is gluten-free and hasn’t been under cross-contamination.

Allergy Advice

A package with this symbol means that the food inside contains the common, allergenic ingredients. Most of the time, it would with the words “May contain traces of nuts” underneath it.

Package Material Symbols

Most countries have a strict requirement to the package materials, primarily about safety and environmental protection.

Recycling

This Mobius created by three arrows is the most common symbol about the packaging material, which means it is recyclable. Sometimes you will see a number in the circle, which means the percentage it can be recycled of the material.

Keep Tidy

This symbol is not relative to the packaging material. It just suggests people deal with the rubbish properly after finishing eating, for environmental protection.

Food Safe

The international symbol for “food safe” material is a wine glass and a fork symbol. The symbol indicates that the material used in the product is considered safe for food contact. This includes food and water containers, packaging materials, cutlery, etc.

FSC Label

The label is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC.) The package with this label means that the trees used were replaced or allowed to grow naturally, that the rights of indigenous people are protected, and that the homes of wildlife are conserved. There are three FSC symbols:

• FSC 100%
• FSC Mix
• FSC Recycled

Plastic Recycling

These symbols are also called Resin Identification Coding, were introduced by the Society of the Plastics Industry in 1988 and managed by ASTM since 2008. These codings normalize the plastic types, for the customers classify and recycle the plastic packages better after using.

Recyclable Aluminum

It means the aluminum used in the product or its package can be recyclable.

Sustainable Forestry Initiative

This symbol or similar tree logo shows that the materials used to create the packaging were harvested from sustainable forests.

Compostable

The symbol means the packaging is compostable. Only the products which comply with EU standard 13432/14955 allow using this label.

Suitable For Freezing

A product with this symbol means it can be freezing with the package together without unwrapping it off.

Microwavable

Packaging with this symbol means it can be heated in the microwave oven.

Green Dot

Green Dot means that for such packaging a financial contribution has been paid to a qualified national packaging recovery organization set up in accordance with the principles defined in European Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive 94/62 and the respective national law.