All the solutions for food traceability with labeling machines

The global growth of the agri-food supply chain has posed, with increasing urgency, the problem of food safety, relating to both raw materials and semi-processed products. One of the measures taken in this regard was the introduction of food tracking in order to make products or ingredients placed on the market more transparent.

What is food traceability

Food traceability is defined in Article 3 of theState-Regions Agreement of July 28, 2005 (1), stipulated to facilitate the implementation of the EC Regulation No. 178/2002, the main normative reference at the community level.

Specifically, food “traceability” is described as “the possibility of Reconstruct and follow the pathway of a food item, of a feed, food-producing animal, or substance intended or likely to become part of a food or feed through all stages of production, processing, and distribution“.

This implies that all information relevant to the traceability of ingredients and foods should be displayed on the packages or labels to protect the consumer. Reason being, since 2006, with the entry into force of the “Hygiene Package,” the tracking requirement has been extended to all agri-food products.

Food traceability via QRCode

Transparency in labels is also readable immediately by QRCode. Through the reader that all of today’s smartphones have, the necessary information about the product, including its traceability, can be retrieved immediately:

• Due date;
• Product origin;
• Allergens;
• Quantity;
• Food name;
• Ingredients;
• Nutritional values;
• Name and address of the manufacturer, packer, or seller;
• Any storage conditions and cooking instructions.
• Read more about QRCode.

As required by EU regulations, in particular EU Regulation 1169/2011 with the aim of giving clear and complete information to the consumer, who today has become increasingly demanding and aware.

It must be remembered that companies that do not comply with the traceability law in Italy risk fines of up to 24 thousand euros, as stipulated in Legislative Decree 231/2017.

Thanks to the QrCode, it will ultimately be even easier for consumers not only to find essential product information but also to convey greater reliability and transparency to the merchant.

Modern labelers offer the ability to print QRCode quickly and easily and wirelessly even from mobile.

Brother QL-800 series: for barcode and QrCode printing Also discover the label maker for printing barcodes

What it’s for and why it’s important (as well as mandatory) to report on the label the product’s process

The ability to track food products is important from several perspectives:

• As stated on the official website of the Ministry of Health (2), food tracking first and foremost serves to “Isolate a production lot in case of emergency, and enable the producer and the control bodies whose duty it is to supervise the food safety of the citizen, to manage and control possible dangerous situations through knowledge of the various production processes“.
• In other words, traceability is a tool to protect consumers from possible health and hygiene hazards; in addition, this practice allows the end user to access all salient information about each agri-food product.
• On the other hand, as far as producers and distributors are concerned, traceability is first and foremost a legal obligation, reinforced by Legislative Decree 231/2017, which introduces strict sanction discipline against those who fail to adopt adequate food tracking measures.
• Second, proper tracking of agri-food products is an indispensable tool to convey to the customer, in a clear and detailed manner, all the information regarding the product, contributing, as specified above, to establishing a relationship of trust and transparency between seller and consumer.

The best labelers for food traceability: which ones to use?

To optimally implement the tracking of agri-food products, it is necessary to be equipped with appropriate technological tools. In particular, it is essential to have professional labeling machines that can meet precise technical and practical requirements related to the wide variety of agri-food products on the market.

Get the right labelers for:

• Retail stores.
• Haulage and groceries.
• Large Distribution.