Updated: Mar. 20, 2024
Wondering what those colored circles on food packages really mean? The answer is more technical than you might think.
Reading the label
You can tell a lot from the design and color of food packaging. The color of a packet of M&Ms, for example, can tell you whether they’re peanut, regular, crispy, or caramel, while a yellow cap on a Coca-Cola bottle means something else entirely. And if you’ve ever glanced at the back of a food package, you know they’re chock full of information: the story of the brand, nutritional figures, ingredients both familiar and not, and something called a “serving size,” which I have personally never adhered to. But there’s something else printed on the back of most food packaging: several brightly-colored circles or squares that look like some sort of secret language. However, these shapes aren’t an indication of flavors, vitamins, or minerals. They’re really not there for us consumers at all, but rather, for the printing engineers.
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What do colored circles on food packages mean?
The colored circles on food packages can come in a variety of colors: pink, yellow, blue, black, orange, purple, or green, in varying shades of light and dark. Apparently, those colored shapes are called “printer’s color blocks” or “process control patches,” and they’re there to help the printing team who prints the food packaging. We consulted an expert printing engineer, Meg Schiraldi, to find out exactly what that means.
“When the packaging is printed, technicians use the colored circles to check that the printing ink is the correct [color] and quality. They compare the color to boxes printed around the world to ensure consistent brand colors,” Schiraldi explained. “Most printers only use four colors: cyan (blue-green), yellow, magenta, and black. But some printers have extra colors like orange, green, and violet. This helps them match challenging colors like Home Depot orange and FedEx purple. That’s why you may see more circles printed on some packages—they need to check each color of ink!”
So there you have it! Colored circles on food packages help printers to color match when they’re printing food packaging and retain brand consistency all over the world. That means you can reach for a yellow packet of M&Ms in Shanghai, Sarajevo, or Sydney and know you’ll be getting peanuts. Peanut M&Ms, that is. Thanks, colored circles! Without you, not all food packages would come out the same, and it sure is nice to be able to rely on at least one thing in this world. Next, find out these ways you’re reading food labels wrong.
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FAQs
Depending on who you ask, they're either "process control patches" or "printer's color blocks." No matter what one calls them, they ultimately serve the same purpose: making sure that the colors used to print packaging are up to par by testing how a certain set of "process colors" are coming out.
What do the colored circles on chip bags mean? ›
The strip of round colors, or sometimes squares on boxes, are called “Printer's Color Blocks” or “Process Control Patches.” It tells the computer, and the human overseer, what color the package is supposed to look like. If the orange looks too orange, they'll reference the patch to see if it matches.
What is the color code on food packaging? ›
What is the color code on food packaging? The color code on food packaging uses red, amber, and green to indicate high, medium, or low levels of fat, saturates, sugars, and salt. Red means high, amber means medium, and green means low. So, keep an eye out for these colors to make healthier choices!
What does the circle mean on food? ›
Circles of Food is an approach that guides engaged and collaborative practice in making our food systems more sustainable, resilient, adaptable and liveable. It is part of a broader approach called Circles of Social Life.
What is the color dot on food products? ›
Food labels use color coding to highlight the nutritional value of food servings in red, amber, and green. People will be able to see at a glance if the food product has high, medium, or low fat, saturated fat, sugar, or salt. Red indicates a high level. Amber is a medium-toned colour.
What does the black dot on food products mean? ›
Black color mainly indicates pure chemical substance in a box or bag. So, packaging containing pure chemical material can be printed with a black dot to help people know about the nature of the product.
What do the colors mean on food labels? ›
Red, amber and green colour coding
Colour-coded nutritional information tells you at a glance if the food has high, medium or low amounts of fat, saturated fat, sugars and salt: red means high. amber means medium. green means low.
What is the blue dot on food packaging? ›
The UDF has chosen the blue dot on lines of existing green and red dots. Blue has been the colour picked up by WHO and International diabetes federation (IDF) to spread awareness about diabetes and educate millions worldwide," said Dr Manoj Chawala, founder member of UDF.
What are the symbols on food packaging? ›
Food packaging symbols are graphic designs, logos, or pictograms used on food packaging to convey important information about the product. Some common symbols include: “Best Before” or “Use By” date, indicating the shelf life of the food product. “Organic” symbol, indicating the product is made from organic ingredients.
What are the colors on packaging for? ›
Specific colors are commonly used for specific products within specific industries. For example, red is commonly used in the food industry. Green is used for healthy products, blue is used for fun foods, and yellow is used for high-energy foods.
The letter "K" in a circle is a certification mark indicating Kosher products certified by OK Laboratories, of which the administrator is Rabbi Don Yoel Levy, succeeding his father Rabbi Bernard Levy.
What does green dot on food packet stand for? ›
The correct option is A That the food inside is vegetarian. The green and the red dots on food packages indicate whether the food is vegetarian or not. The green dot indicates that the food is purely vegetarian; the red dot indicates that the food contains non-vegetarian food.
What is the brown dot on food packets? ›
Vegetarian mark and non-vegetarian mark
According to the law, vegetarian food should be identified by a green symbol and non-vegetarian food with a brown symbol.
Why are there colored circles on food packages? ›
Depending on who you ask, they're either "process control patches" or "printer's color blocks." No matter what one calls them, they ultimately serve the same purpose: making sure that the colors used to print packaging are up to par by testing how a certain set of "process colors" are coming out.
What is the maroon dot on food products? ›
The green dot symbolizes lacto-vegetarian food, while the maroon dot represents non lacto-vegetarian food. And is enforced after the packaging and labelling regulation in 2011.
What is the color code for food items? ›
Green equipment in the kitchen should be used for fruit and salad. Brown equipment should be used when you are preparing vegetables. Red equipment should be reserved for raw meat items, such as uncooked red meat, like steaks, or poultry, including chicken.
What are the colored dots on the bottom of Doritos bags? ›
Colored circles on chip bags act as a visual coding system, informing buyers of the flavor or kind of chips they purchase. Consumers can rapidly scan the options available to them since each hue represents a distinct taste characteristic.
Why are there colored dots on the bottom of chips? ›
Printers' color blocks help chip bag manufacturers ensure the colors of each bag match the standard package colors for each type of chip. While many printers use only four hues, black, yellow, magenta, and cyan, others have a few extra colors. This is where those circles come in.
What are the green spots on chips? ›
Most green potatoes never make it to the store. But a green-tinted potato may turn up in a potato chip factory and sneak into a bag of chips. So you're eating chlorophyll as you munch that green chip. It's non-toxic and harmless.
What are the brown spots on chips? ›
Wilson said the dark spots on the chips are unrelated to ring rot and are common for potatoes used for chips. Discoloration in potato chips is cosmetic and they are still safe to eat. "(They) are dark spots or dark coloring from bruising, changes in sugars during storage or vascular discoloration," he said.
