|
LABELLING Okay, I know that all major corporations are bricking it these days because of the fear of litigation, and that such fear has a predictable effect on what information is carried on labelling. But is that any justification for the absolute nonsense that you so often see on labels?
The famous one, of course, is the warning on McDonald’s takeaway coffee containers that they contain hot liquid, following a successful (and expensive) lawsuit against the company after a woman burned herself. Though essentially true, much of this story has been embellished into urban myth. However, it serves to illustrate the point that labelling is now in place as an insurance against litigation.
Listeners to Wake Up with Wogan will no doubt have heard Sir Terry bringing the more zany examples to our attention. So, following his lead, we bring you . . . Tesco eggs.
It goes without saying that we never buy Tesco eggs (or eggs from any supermarket, ever) but the eggs we do buy from the farm come in a variety of boxes. Last week we had a Tesco box. The label describes the contents as ‘6 eggs’. We are told that the box contains eggs of different sizes. It goes on to say that they are Class A eggs. This is followed by a helpful description of what Class A means: eggs from caged hens living in carefully controlled conditions (sounds deeply distressing, but that’s another story).
Then comes the ‘allergy advice’: Contains egg.
What more can I say?
|
