NiceLabel has developed a simple solution to help food suppliers achieve compliance with the new EU Regulation 1169/2011 on food labelling, with minimal effort and without the need to purchase new printers.
The final date by which companies selling or importing food into the EU market must comply with the new EU Regulation 1169/2011 is December 13, 2014.
According to NiceLabel, a specialist in barcode and RFID labelling software, one of the biggest challenges companies face is the labelling of certain substances or products causing allergies or intolerances.
Food suppliers are required to clearly highlight allergens in the ingredients list and to emphasise them by means of the font, style or background colour, the company says – requirements that make the labelling process “particularly challenging” for companies producing many different food items in smaller quantities and thus printing labels on-demand.
To help such companies achieve compliance with the new regulation, NiceLabel has developed a solution that generates smart labels, which allow companies to automatically highlight allergens without modifying their existing databases or purchasing new hardware.
Ideal for on-demand labelling including bakery, sandwich, delicatessen, and other retail and catering applications, the NiceLabel solution dynamically formats the allergens text before printing and is said to be compatible with any existing page or label printer.
“The NiceLabel food allergens solution produces labels which automatically and clearly emphasize the 14 substances listed within the EU regulations and also have the flexibility for related words to be highlighted as desired,” says Ken Moir, NiceLabel global marketing director.
Once implemented, Moir says, the database of allergens and related descriptors is easily maintained, including multi-lingual labels.
“NiceLabel is unique in that it allows users with no programming knowledge to create their own printing solutions,” adds Moir.
The European Commission states that the new EU Regulation 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers changes existing legislation on food labelling, including:
- Mandatory nutrition information on processed foods
- Mandatory origin labelling of unprocessed meat from pigs, sheep, goats and poultry
- Highlighting allergens, eg peanuts or milk in the list of ingredients
- Better legibility, ie minimum size of text
- Requirements on information on allergens also cover non pre-packed foods including those sold in restaurants and cafés
www.nicelabel.com/allergens
