Today’s Labels May Grossly Overstate The Obvious

By: Samson Bateson

Frivolous lawsuit claims are taking labeling in a whole new direction that borderline on silliness. Some labels wording is so off that you wonder what the manufacturer was thinking. While labels provide relevant information that many consumers find useful like warnings and contents, many consumers are finding labels that seem to little more than overstate the obvious. Has common sense gone out the window or do labels really need to contain so much information?

One morning at a McDonald’s drive through window, an elderly woman received a coffee that was too hot to sip and ended up spilling on her lap. She won a lawsuit mainly because the coffee did not warn her that it might be hot. Hence, “caution: hot” was since imprinted on all McDonald Styrofoam cups. Of course, you could argue that this type of information needed to be stated. Most labels try to inform a consumer about contents and processes used in making the goods. However, do you really need to be told that a bag of carrots contain “Ingredients: Carrots”? Also, many labels offer valuable warnings or guidelines such as age appropriateness. However, do you need to be warned that a Harry Potter broom “does not actually make a child fly”?

Various sources in the different industries decide on label regulations. For example, the Food and Drug Association (FDA) regulated ingredient and nutrition labels for the U.S. food industry. As for label warnings and instructions, most company lawyers and some federal laws advise the wording.

For fun, many websites - such as DumbNetwork.com - are devoted to cracking jabs at some of the sillier labels in today’s market. Below are some highlights of the dumber warnings and instructions for the average consumer:

- “Not suitable for driving under conditions of poor light.” (Ray Ban Sunglasses)
- “Instructions: Put on food.” (Heinz Ketchup)
- “Do not use while sleeping.” (Blow dryer)
- “Never iron clothes on the body.” (Rowenta iron)

Lots of labels instruct you on how to remove wrapping or empty the box contents first. This might sound silly at first, but many users are starting with many basic skills and require much spelled out. In other words, what seems obvious to you might not seem obvious to someone else - perhaps these words might make a great label some day! Sometimes manufacturers include words that might sound like common sense but are actually attempts at discouraging undesirable use of their product. For example, did you know many golf carts have the warning “not for highway use” to discourage joy riding on the road.

As silly or as dumb as many labels read, the need for labeling is very necessary to protect companies from frivolous lawsuits or to protect the consumer from danger. Whatever the real reason is perhaps one hair-coloring manufacturer may have hit the nail on the head when it included this warning on its box “Do not use as an ice cream topping”.

Samson Bateson runs Funk Label where you’ll find it easy to find label information - ideas, suppliers, etc. For more info, go to http://www.funklabel.com/newsletters/