They are created with consumers in mind. They have to fulfill two important tasks: to inform about quality and used ingredients, and to encourage consumers to buy a product. Which information to pay attention to?

1. The amount of meat per 100 g of the product. It is simple — the higher, the better. For meats it is 70% minimum. Don’t be surprised when you see that 110 g of meat was used to make 100g of a product. How is it possible?

It is natural that during the smoking process, the meat loses its water.

Read also: 5 Reasons To Eat Beef

2. Nutrients

You definitely do not want to miss that information if you are on a diet. Product labels should include information about calories, fats, proteins, carbohydrates (including sugars) and salt.

3. Ingredients

Ingredients list is often the most important part for us. By law, these ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. This is where allergy sufferers look for relevant information. If the product contains additives such as antioxidants, food coloring and emulsifiers, they should be listed.

What is important for a consumer? It is a good idea to check the meaning of all the names we do not understand. Contrary to popular belief, number of well-known “E” substances are not harmful for our health; e.g. E 300 used as antioxidant in meats is actually an ascorbic acid, which works similarly to vitamin C.

See also: What we should know about meat smoking process?

4. Expiration Date

Although this should not happen, sometimes we accidentally buy a product after its expiration date. It is a lesson for a customers, during which we learn to always check this information.