EU regulations 178/2000 and 178/2002 require food manufacturers to be able to trace back any ingredients both sourced from suppliers and subsequently supplied to customers, and to have in place "systems and procedures" to make this information available to the "competent authorities".
In the regulations' wake, Imaje's bakery customer was asked by a supermarket to begin coding vital information directly onto bread bags to ensure traceability through the product's life. All such data is currently recorded on the plastic tape or clip bag fasteners, but once these are removed, traceability is lost.
Imaje supplied an Imaje S8 inkjet printer, on which the printhead can be placed over 30mm away from the product, providing flexibility when coding irregularly-shaped loaves. It also developed an odour-free ink specifically for bakery applications which offers "excellent adhesion properties, no increase in drying times and no risk of tainting the bread".
