In the food and drink industry, products must be correctly packaged and labelled for them to meet strict health and safety standards. Produce packaged and labelled away from the establishment must have clear labelling, making sure that consumers can view ingredients, allergens, sell-by date, and additional information with ease. To add efficiency and precision to this process, manufacturers that invest in automated labelling systems can streamline their operations, maximising productivity and reducing downtime.
At LVP Conveyors, we supply a wide range of automated packaging and labelling systems, helping businesses in the food and beverage sector remain fully compliant with the current regulations, keeping customers informed at all times. In this blog post, we’ll explore why proper food and drink labelling is important, some of the hidden risks of manual labelling, and how automated labelling systems can add efficiency to the end-of-line packaging process.
The Importance of Labelling Food & Drink Products
In Ireland, there are strict regulations regarding food and drink product packaging and labelling. Items must be properly protected, ensuring they remain fully packaged from the factory to the shop shelves. Additionally, these items must be clearly labelled to give consumers full access and visibility to product information, including ingredients, allergens, and manufacturer contact details.
Meeting strict food health and safety standards is an important part of the packaging process, particularly when it comes to end-of-line food packaging. That’s why manufacturers who invest in advanced automated labelling systems manage to clearly and precisely label items, presenting necessary information in a secure and readable way for safe transit and consumer use.
The Hidden Risks of Manually Labelling Products
While manual labelling may seem like an achievable task for food and beverage companies, there are many risks associated with the process, such as:
- Label Misplacement: Individuals are more likely to place important product labels incorrectly on the item, potentially placing it in the wrong location or where important information may be hard to view.
- Inconsistent Label Quality: Not every label will be placed in the correct place, making it difficult for food and drink companies to consistently meet strict safety standards, as certain information may be unclear for the consumer to read.
- Difficult to Trace: When certain items need to be traced due to potential contamination or recalls, manually labelled items are more likely to be a challenge to track due to the inconsistent and imprecise placement.
- Cross-Contamination Risks: Manual labelling involves workers handling food and drink products, making the risk of potential cross-contamination higher compared to them being labelled by an automated system.
How Can An Automated Labelling System Help?
Investing in an automated labelling system for the end-of-line packaging process provides numerous benefits. Here are some of the excellent ways that these automated systems tick all the boxes when it comes to meeting strict health and safety standards in Ireland:
- Clear Display of Product Ingredients: It is incredibly important that food and beverage labels clearly display the list of ingredients and any allergens. This allows consumers to check products easily, ensuring that the item is safe for them to consume.
- Accurate Placement: For food and drink companies to maintain high levels of professionalism, careful label placement is key. Automated systems can place labels in the exact location on the product, making it easy to read for both workers and consumers to read.
- Quicker Application: In any factory or manufacturing warehouse, streamlined operations are a must. Avoiding manual labelling errors and general downtime, these systems can precisely label a sufficient number of products in a shorter period of time.
- Boosted Hygiene Levels: Manufacturers who rely on an automated labelling system manage to reduce the chance of cross-contamination and poor hygiene levels, as there is minimal contact between human workers and the product during the end-of-line packaging process.
Looking for Automated Labelling Systems in Ireland?
From the additional time it takes to apply these labels to potential costly errors, there are several downsides to manual labelling that automated labelling systems manage to avoid. However, automated systems are able to achieve consistent placement, helping businesses streamline their end-of-line packaging processes.
Working with leading brands, LVP Conveyors has supplied high-quality automated systems that use advanced linear handling to create hassle-free and smooth-running operations for all types of businesses. Contact us today to step towards seamless packaging solutions while meeting strict health and safety standards in Ireland and beyond.