I love to read product labels! I picked up this habit during my university days. Those time, I did it to ensure that all products I consumed were free from animal-based fat. Due to limited products with halal certification, I read the label to ensure it contains NO E471 - animal-based emulsifier.
And I tried my very best NOT to buy any made-in-israel products because I'm a supporter of Palestine.
So every time I visited Tesco or Sainsbury's, I picked up the goods, read the labels. Once convinced and satisfied, only then will I put them in my shopping cart.
Since then I learned a lot of logos or certifications which have made my shopping outing much shorter.
That logo means kosher, this logo means suitable for vegetarians. This was made from organic produce, that was produced by British farmers. And the list goes on and on.
At home, bulk of local products have simple labels. But at least, most of them have halal logo. Some would add GMP, which indicates such products were manufactured according to best practices.
And to see Tesco has started indicating the products' country of origin, have made my shopping experience more exciting. I know they weren't the first because I think I saw Mydin and Carrefour have special sections were products are arranged according to (Malaysian) states or country of origin.
I really believe that this is the fruit of market liberation of retail sector. It increases competition as well as brings in new technology and best practices. At the end, the industry becomes more efficient and modern.
I hope soon they would introduce self checkout counters like what they have in the UK.
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