{"id":1681675,"date":"2021-07-29T17:52:41","date_gmt":"2021-07-29T22:52:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/?p=1681675"},"modified":"2023-01-19T14:35:29","modified_gmt":"2023-01-19T20:35:29","slug":"colored-circles-on-food-packages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/article\/colored-circles-on-food-packages\/","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s What Those Colored Circles on Food Packages Actually Mean"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reading the label<\/h2>\r\nYou can tell a lot from the design and color of food packaging. The color of a packet of M&Ms<\/a>, for example, can tell you whether they're peanut, regular, crispy or caramel, while a yellow cap on a Coca-Cola bottle<\/a> 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. By the way, here's how to correctly read a nutritional label<\/a>.\r\n\r\nBut 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 code. However, these shapes aren't an indication of flavors, vitamins or minerals. They're really not there for consumers at all, but rather, for the printing engineers.\r\n

What do colored circles on food packages mean?<\/h2>\r\nThe colored circles on food packages can come in a variety of colors in varying shades. 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.\r\n\r\n\"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 Maruchan ramen orange and Takis\u00a0purple. That's why you may see more circles printed on some packages\u2014they need to check each color of ink!\"\r\n\r\nSo 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 peanut M&Ms. Next, check out the best back-of-the-box recipes<\/a>.\r\n\r\nSources: <\/strong>\r\n