Editing Packaging (section)

==Labels and symbols used on packages==
{{main|List of food labeling regulations}}
[[File:HK food drink Longevity brand Sweetened Milk Mar-2014 barcode a.jpg|thumb|upright|A UPC [[bar code]] on a can of condensed milk]]
Many types of symbols for package labeling are nationally and internationally standardized.  For consumer packaging, symbols exist for product certifications (such as the [[FCC Declaration of Conformity|FCC]] and [[TÜV]] marks), [[trademark]]s, [[proof of purchase]], etc.  Some requirements and symbols exist to communicate aspects of consumer rights and safety, for example the [[CE marking]] or the [[estimated sign]] that notes conformance to EU weights and measures accuracy regulations. Examples of environmental and recycling symbols include the [[recycling symbol]], the [[Recycling codes|recycling code]] (which could be a [[resin identification code]]), and the [[Green Dot (symbol)|"Green Dot"]]. Food packaging may show [[Food contact materials|food contact material]] symbols. In the [[European Union]], products of animal origin which are intended to be consumed by humans have to carry standard, oval-shaped [[EC identification and health marks]] for food safety and quality insurance reasons.

[[Barcode|Bar codes]], [[Universal Product Code]]s, and [[Radio-frequency identification|RFID]] labels are common to allow automated information management in [[logistics]] and [[retailing]]. [[Country-of-origin]] labeling is often used. Some products might use [[QR code]]s or similar [[matrix barcode]]s. Packaging may have visible [[Printing registration|registration marks]] and other printing calibration and troubleshooting cues.

The labelling of [[medical devices]] includes many symbols, many of them covered by international standards, foremost ISO 15223-1.

===Consumer package contents===
Several aspects of consumer package labeling are subject to regulation.  One of the most important is to accurately state the quantity (weight, volume, count) of the package contents.  Consumers expect that the label accurately reflects the actual contents.  Manufacturers and packagers must have effective [[quality assurance]] procedures and accurate equipment; even so, there is inherent variability in all [[Process capability|processes]].

Regulations attempt to handle both sides of this.  In the US, the [[Fair Packaging and Labeling Act]] provides requirements for many types of products.  Also, [[NIST]] has Handbook 133, Checking the Net Contents of Packaged Goods.<ref>{{Citation
  | title = Checking the Net Contents of Packaged Goods, Handbook 133 - 2020
  | journal =NIST
| publisher =US National Institute of Science and Technology
| year =2020
  | url = https://www.nist.gov/pml/weights-and-measures/handbook-133-2020-current-version
  | access-date = 8 April 2020
}}</ref>  This is a procedural guide for compliance testing of net contents and is referenced by several other regulatory agencies.<ref>{{cite journal
 | last =Hines
 | first =A
 | title = WEIGHING YOUR OPTIONS WITH NIST HANDBOOK 133
 | journal =Food Safety Net Services News
 | date = February 18, 2019
 | url = https://www.businesscompanion.info/en/quick-guides/weights-and-measures/packaged-goods-average-quantity
 | access-date =8 April 2020
}}</ref>

Other regions and countries have their own regulatory requirements.  For example, the UK has its Weights and Measures (Packaged Goods) Regulations<ref>{{citation
 | title = The Weights and Measures (Packaged Goods) Regulations 2006
 | publisher =UK Statutory Instruments, 2006 No. 659
 | date =2006
 | url = http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2006/659/contents/made
 | access-date =8 April 2020
}}</ref> as well as several [[United Kingdom food labelling regulations|other regulations]]. In the [[European Economic Area|EEA]], products with hazardous formulas need to have a [[Unique formula identifier|UFI]].

===Shipping container labeling===
[[File:Print n apply ucc.jpg|left|thumb|"Print & Apply" corner wrap UCC ([[GS1-128]]) label application to a pallet load]]
Technologies related to shipping containers are identification codes, [[bar codes]], and electronic data interchange ([[Electronic Data Interchange|EDI]]).  These three core technologies serve to enable the business functions in the process of shipping containers throughout the distribution channel.  Each has an essential function: identification codes either relate product information or serve as keys to other data, bar codes allow for the automated input of identification codes and other data, and EDI moves data between trading partners within the distribution channel.

Elements of these core technologies include [[Universal Product Code|UPC]] and [[GS1|EAN]] item identification codes, the SCC-14 (UPC shipping container code), the SSCC-18 (Serial Shipping Container Codes), Interleaved 2-of-5 and UCC/EAN-128 (newly designated [[GS1-128]]) bar code [[Barcode symbology|symbologies]], and ANSI ASC X12 and UN/EDIFACT EDI standards.

Small parcel carriers often have their own formats.  For example, [[United Parcel Service]] has a [[MaxiCode]] 2-D code for parcel tracking.

[[Radio-frequency identification|RFID]] labels for shipping containers are also increasingly used.  A [[Wal-Mart]] division, [[Sam's Club]], has also moved in this direction and is putting pressure on its suppliers to comply.<ref>{{cite news |first=Beth |last=Bacheldor |title=Sam's Club Tells Suppliers to Tag or Pay |url=http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/3845/1/1/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080122015618/http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/3845/1/1/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 22, 2008 |date=January 11, 2008 |access-date=January 17, 2008 }}</ref>

Shipments of [[Dangerous goods|hazardous materials]] or [[dangerous goods]] have special information and symbols (labels, placards, etc.) as required by UN, country, and specific carrier requirements. On transport packages, standardized symbols are also used to communicate handling needs. Some are defined in the [[ASTM International|ASTM]] D5445 "Standard Practice for Pictorial Markings for Handling of Goods", [[International Organization for Standardization|ISO]] 780 "Pictorial marking for handling of goods", and [[GHS hazard pictograms]].
<gallery>
File:Dangclass3.png|Flammable liquid
File:Dangclass1.svg|Explosives
Image:Thiswayup.svg|This way up
File:Fragile symbol.gif|Fragile material
Image:Keepdry.svg|Keep away from [[water]]
</gallery>{{further|List of symbols#Consumer_symbols}}