What Is a Compliance Label?

Simply put, a compliance label is a label that serves as an indicator of required standards that may be the result of specifications by a particular company, from a particular industry, or through mandates from a regulatory authority in a country. The reason for the compliance label may be based on the need by a particular company to keep tabs on its goods in terms of the application of barcodes and tags that may be used as a means of monitoring the inventory. Some stores have their own unique barcodes, and when such barcodes are scanned in the store, the information relating to that particular item will be displayed, making it much easier to control the inventory. The compliance label may also be a requirement for certain shipments into or outside of the country, as a means of also applying safe handling and other necessary applications that make the process much safer. For instance, most countries require that shipments into the country have different kinds of labels indicating whether the item is fragile, or if the item is liquid, corrosive and other indications including labels showing the toxicity of items.

An application of the compliance label can be seen in the labeling of products that are meant for retail as part of legal requirements. For example, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) generates the exact specifications of various categories of compliance labels. This includes the legal mandate for manufacturers to list the content of food items, including the caloric content, vitamins and other nutritional value, any contents with high allergic reactions, and the name of the manufacturers. The specifications for the compliance label for this industry often includes the exact size of the lettering and positioning on the label, the exact location for the placement of the name and address of the manufacturer, and any other specifications for particular food items like vegetables or raw fish and other seafood.

Most people who buy products often see the attempts by manufacturers to comply with any compliance label requirements for that particular product. For instance, most plastic bags carry warnings stating that such bags must be kept away from children out of a fear that they may hurt themselves. They may also be seen in the form of labels on products, such as tags stating the type of materials used in making the product, including warnings of fire hazards.