Wine novices and connoisseurs alike admire the beautifully-drawn cherubs gracing Two Angels Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Syrah. The label’s image was taken from a woodcut by the Flemish artist, Jacob DeBacker, in 1591, created to illustrate the “pleasure and pain” of excessive drinking (one could call it the first “responsible drinking” campaign).

A bright red, rectangular label with a small black slit (representing rural Australian and British mail boxes), has become well-known as the highly-rated Australian blend, Pillar Box Red. The woman behind this label, owner Kim Longbottom, is gaining a reputation as one of the more creative talents fashioning clever wine labels. Her winery, Henry’s Drive, is situated on the site of a 19th century stagecoach route. The driver, Henry, is depicted in a 1950s Australian postage stamp. Kim took that stamp and made it the centerpiece of her flagship wines. The postal/communications theme informs all the winery’s labels.

Read the full press release here on MarketWatch.com…

The labels are being designed to assist consumers when choosing new appliances and other items. The labels will clearly mark energy consumption guidelines and help consumers choose more energy efficient products and reduce their carbon emissions when using dishwashers, washing machines, refrigerators, and more.

Energy labels have been used in the UK on white goods for some time now, rating products from A (best) to G (worst). However, the new label system will add ratings of A+ and A++ to give credit to appliances that are extra energy efficient.

“Consumers want to make the right decisions when buying new goods that use less energy and bring down household bills,” said Environment secretary Caroline Spelman.

“These new energy saving ratings will help people make the right choice when out shopping for TVs and white goods by choosing those which are rated the darkest green on the labels,” Spelman added.

Read the full story here… Energy Saving Trust – UK

Several Large U.S. Corporations Form New Packaging Trade Orgainization – Ameripen

The new group, called Ameripen, will address public policies that impact the packaging industry and the world environment. The group was formed to represent the interests of the packaging industry, which includes raw material producers, packaging manufacturers / printers, packaging users and fillers, retailers, and material recovery / recycling companies.

The corporate founders include large Fortune 500 companies like Coca-Cola, Colgate-Palmolive, ConAgra Foods, Dow Chemical, DuPont Packaging & Industrial Polymers, Kellogg, MeadWestvaco, Procter & Gamble, Sealed Air Corporation, and Tetra Pak.

Ameripen plans to advocate packaging policy developments in North America, focusing on measures that are environmentally and economically sound, as well as socially responsible.

“Ameripen will further enhance the packaging value chain’s commitment to continuously improving its sustainability profile and reducing packaging waste,” said Joan Pierce, Ameripen president. “The organization will play an instrumental role in conveying this message to opinion leaders in North America and ensuring that participants in the packaging value chain have maximum scope to innovate, compete and operate in a resource-efficient way.”

Read the full story here… LabelandNarrowWeb.com

KB Home (Los Angeles, California) Using MPG-Like Label for Home Energy Efficiency

A pioneering homebuilder in Los Angeles, California is trying a new approach to help sell homes… They’re putting efficiency labels on all their new properties.

Similar to automobile sheets you’d see on car windows at an auto dealership, KB Home is experimenting with green labels to give them an edge in a tough housing market.

Like the MPG labels that help portray the fuel efficiency of a new car, these labels from KB Home will show where each of their new homes rank on an energy-efficiency scale. This “Energy Performance Guide” (or EPG) will also display an estimate of each home’s monthly utility bill.

“In the past, you had no clue how much it was going to cost you to live in your home until you’d lived there a while,” said KB Home chief executive Jeffrey Mezger. “This could be a game-changer for how people think about buying a home. With today’s consumer, every dollar is important.”

Read the full story here… LATimes.com

Dot Com Label Mavericks? OK, so the real name of the company is MaverickLabel.Com. But the former is more descriptive, because this is an internet company … supplying labels … in a different and inventive way. Maverick sees itself first and foremost as a web technology company, providing an interface for the customer into the world of ordering labels – a label “portal” – which can simplify the process of ordering almost any kind of label or tag, regardless of the manufacturing method.

Click Here to Read the Full Article…

“Our driving focus is to make label ordering easy for the customer,” says CEO Mark Trumper. “We know that there are many different places people can order labels, but finding the right one is difficult enough. Then, having to navigate the vast array of options any one manufacturer may present makes it even more daunting. Only after dealing with a great deal of complexity might the customer realize that there is a mismatch between their needs and the vendor’s offerings. Our goal is to fix that problem. We offer a complete set of labeling solutions – virtually any kind of label or tag, produced on all kinds of equipment – in any quantity the customer might want. And we do it with an integrated, consistent interface to a set of intelligent online quoters, for an intuitive shopping experience.”

Mark Trumper – CEO
MaverickLabel.Com

So, where exactly did stickers come from and why were they invented?  To answer this question, let’s first look at the definition of the word “sticker.”  Dictionary.com defines a sticker as…  “An adhesive label.”  (Wow, that’s pretty vague, huh?)

So now, let’s look at rumored inventors of the sticker.  While there is no definitive source acknowledged as inventing the sticker, there are several suggested first uses of stickers throughout history…

• It has been suggested that the Ancient Egyptians first created “stickers” to advertise their daily market rates.  Archeologists have found items, at Egyptian excavation sites, that appear to be pricing and/or product descriptions plastered to walls of ancient cities.  These artifacts are believed to have been some sort of early paper, which was written on and then somehow glued/plastered to the walls of various market places throughout Egypt.
• It has also been suggested that Sir Rowland Hill, in 1839, invented the modern sticker when he created and introduced an adhesive paper that became the first Postage Stamps.
• Then there are those who believe that the sticker was invented in the 1880′s by European advertising gurus, who came up with the idea to help consumers identify (and ultimately purchase) products by use of colorful paper “labels.”  These colorful paper labels were stuck to various types of fruit and fruit packaging with a simple gum paste.  Apparently, there was massive competition in European orchards at this time in history.  These inventive stickers were used primarily on the sides of the fruit crates to help make their containers “stand out” from their competitors.
• And even others argue that R. Stanton Avery, the founder of popular “Avery Labels,” is the actual inventor of the sticker, when he invented the first self-adhesive label in 1935.

Many early stickers were the pre-apply type, meaning you had to somehow “wet” (lick, apply water, etc.) the back / adhesive side of the sticker before applying.  While there are still pre-apply stickers in use today, most modern stickers do not require this task to use the sticker.  So, I guess the inventor of the sticker could be determined by your definition of a sticker itself.

Whichever you believe, stickers have evolved tremendously over the years and are now used in most all aspects of modern day life.  There are literally hundreds of different types of stickers, ranging greatly in differences by material (paper, vinyl, plastics, etc.), application (indoor, outdoor, temperature, etc.), inks (UV, process / spot colors, etc.), adhesives (permanent, removable, ultra-removable, etc.) and even coatings (polymer, clear, varnish, etc.)

MaverickLabel.Com offers custom label printing solutions for any need.  Whether it be simple blank labels / stickers or custom items like name plates, asset tags, control panels or more custom items like process color custom product labels – we are your complete label resource.

Mark Trumper – CEO
MaverickLabel.Com

Researchers analyzing data from a 2005-06 U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, found that nearly 62% of respondents said they read the nutrition facts labels before making a food purchase. Further, nearly 52% examine the list of ingredients, 47% pay attention to the serving size and nearly 44% review health claims at least some of the time when deciding which food product to purchase.

There were significant health differences between food label readers and non-readers. Researchers of the study stated that people who took the time to read the food labels had dramatic increases in their intake of total calories, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, and dietary fibers / sugars.

“If the food label is to have a greater public health impact, rates of use will likely need to be increased among U.S. adults,” said study author Nicholas J. Ollberding, a professor in the Department of Health and Behavior Studies, Teachers College, at Columbia University.

“Low rates of label use also suggest that food labels may need to be modified,” Ollberding added. Suggested changes to the current label could include bolding calorie information, reporting the total nutrient intake for foods likely to be consumed in a single sitting, and using more intuitive labeling techniques such as the use of red, yellow and green inks on the label itself.

So, what does all this mean to those of us in the label industry or our customers – actual purchasers of food product labels? Nothing specific just yet. There are no mandated changes for requirements on food / nutrition labels at this specific time. But, they may be coming at some point down the road. We will do our best to keep you posted as to changes in FDA requirements. In the mean time, however, please feel free to visit the food labels page of our site for a listing of products we offer and more information.

And, if you’d like even more info on this subject, please visit the FDA’s website…
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm094536.htm

Have a question or comment about food or nutrition facts labels? Please leave your comment below and we will get back to you with a personal response.

Thank you,

Mark Trumper
CEO – MaverickLabel.Com

Part of my job requires that I travel frequently for business. And, I have gotten into the habit of reading quite heavily while on these business trips. Reading helps to pass the time on flights, in airports, taxis, and so on – as well as to help me catch-up on industry trends and analysis.

Carrying around multiple magazines or books can be quite a hassle, however. So, I recently purchased a Kindle (digital e-book reader). It is an amazing piece of technology and affords me the luxury of storing dozens of books and magazines for review at any time – without the bulk and inconvenience of transporting the printed versions.

My Kindle has become a valuable asset in my business and personal travels. I take it with me everywhere now and it is an essential piece of my carry-on luggage. As a matter of fact, my Kindle has replaced my laptop as the first thing I break out, after the airline pilot gives word that it is okay to use personal electronic devices.

Well, on a recent Alaska Airlines flight, you can imagine my surprise as I realized my Kindle was missing. After de-boarding the plane and walking to the waiting lounge for my connecting flight, I reached into my carry-on bag to take out my trusty e-book reader. But it wasn’t there. After thinking back, I remembered using it and then putting it in the seat pocket in front of me as I got up to stretch my legs before landing.

There was no time to go back to the first gate to ask if anyone had turned in the device before my connecting flight. So, I feared the worst… My Kindle may be gone for good. Just then, my cell phone rang from a number that I did not recognize. I answered the phone and, to my amazement, it was an Alaska Airlines customer service agent. She stated that they had found my Kindle in the seat pocket of my first flight and that she noticed the ID My Stuff label on the back with my name and cell phone number. She asked if I was still in the airport and said she would do her best to get it to me right away.

The wonderful Alaska Airlines agent borrowed an airport golf cart and was able to get my Kindle back to me before my next flight departed. I was thrilled to have my Kindle back in-hand, truly before I could even really miss it. The ID My Stuff label had absolutely saved the day! Without that ID label, it most likely would have been weeks before I got the device back – if even at all.

Mark Trumper
CEO
MaverickLabel.Com

“We’re planting a tree for every customer placing an order with us,” said Mark Trumper, MaverickLabel.Com® CEO.  “We are constantly striving to find ways to reduce our ecological impact and this program helps us accomplish this goal while actively giving back to the environment,” he went on to say.

In this new initiative, MaverickLabel.Com® will plant a tree in honor of every label customer placing an order through the company’s website. The initial donation will ensure the planting of thousands of new trees through the end of 2009.

“We understand the impact the printing industry has on the environment and we’re doing our part to replace resources used by the industry as a whole.  We’re proud of our ongoing green initiatives, with the use of eco-friendly and biodegradable label stocks and inks, and are even prouder still of this new tree planting initiative” Mr. Trumper added.  “We make every effort to be environmental stewards in all aspects of our business and are delighted to sponsor this tree donation program.”

Mr. Trumper also noted that… “This program fits hand-in-hand with Maverick’s company-wide philosophy of being environmentally conscious and our internal efforts on office recycling and development of a paperless work environment.”

Trees for the Future has helped communities around the globe plant trees since 1989.  With more than 65 million trees planted in thousands of areas throughout Central America, Africa, and Asia, the Trees for the Future organization provides technical knowledge on agroforestry and sustainable development, along with planting materials, so that communities can return dwindling lands and diminished farms back to productive, sustainable conditions.

MaverickLabel.Com® offers hundreds of label products, in a secure online environment. In addition, the company has one of the most comprehensive ordering systems available, including online proofing and design online for most items.

To participate, all you have to do is join the Flickr group and submit a photo. If you’re not a member of Flickr, you can join here

After 500 members have joined the group, one group member will win $100, and here’s the kicker–the winner will be decided by you all via popular vote!  First, the top 15 photos will be selected by the Flickr group administrators. Then you will have an opportunity to vote on the best wine label photo.  After the voting period ends, the person with the most votes will win the $100, and the person with the second highest total of votes will receive a special honorable mention award.  Payment will be made via Paypal.

So, get crackin’.  Start adding your photos to the official Maverick Label Flickr group today.  Click here to go to the group.

Please note that in order to win, you must join the Flickr group.