With the new year, pay attention to the purchase of milk and cheese. From 1 January 2022 no more obligation to insert the origin of the product on the labels. Those who buy will no longer know if the food is 100 percent Italian. And the counterfeiters will have an easy game. The alarm is raised by the president of Coldiretti, Ettore Prandini, who defines the new rules “a very dangerous step back from a path of transparency which, over the years, has brought undisputed benefits to consumer citizens and companies in the agri-food chain. who have focused on 100% Made in Italy “.
By eliminating the obligation to label products, there is the risk of creating new room for maneuver for those who want to deceive citizens with low-quality products passed off as our own. “We therefore ask the Government – concludes Prandini – to intervene urgently for the extension of the decree on milk and cheese and for all the others about to expire.” A request that consumers share. It is no coincidence that 1.1 million signatures have been collected as part of the ‘Eat original! Unmask your food’ initiative promoted by Coldiretti together with Campagna Amica and other European organizations (from Solidarnosc to Fnsea) for the extension of the labeling obligation with the indication of origin on all Foods.
According to the EU Regulation number 1169 of 2011, in general, the label of a product must show the name and quantity of the product, the ingredients of which it is composed, the expiry date, the origin, the possible presence of allergens and nutritional value together with the name and address of the manufacturer, packager or seller, storage conditions and cooking instructions. All essential information to protect the consumer and minimize health risks. Foods labeled inaccurately can in fact involve a fatal risk for those who consume them and the consequent closure of a company, with penalties that can reach up to 24 thousand euros. In the food production chain it is therefore essential to print clear, legible labels easily and independently, complete with nutritional values and indications about any intolerances or allergies.
The company Brother offers many solutions to print food labels in accordance with the law. In fact, product labeling follows the entire supply chain, from the origin to the distribution center to the various points of sale. In particular, during the transit from the warehouses, the barcode labels of the products must contain, in addition to the information for the customer, the appropriate indications for the transfer staff. Once you reach the point of sale, on the labels you must be able to read the expiry date, content, packaging, price and any discount codes.
Food intended for the supermarket fresh counter must be labeled both when it arrives and when it is defrosted. As food is taken from the refrigerator or freezer, information must be added to ensure that it is prepared and cooked on schedule. For this reason, even here the label must contain a barcode, expiration date, and any allergen content. The desktop barcode printers for food traceability proposed by Brother they print labels for fruit and vegetables, labels for allergens and nutrition tables, labels for semi-finished products at the point of sale and even labels for food containers.
The advantages of correct labeling are the perfect compliance of the product with food safety regulations, the possibility of avoiding any errors thanks to the printing of clear and resistant labels and the adoption of thermal technology, for which food label printers do not they require neither ink nor toner. Thanks to extensive experience in the labeling of products intended for good food, all printing devices allow you to carry out efficient and precise labeling processes.