The SmartLabel program gives instant access to a wide range of product information with the scan of a QR code.
To meet consumers’ interest for more information, packaging suppliers offer a range of materials and technologies designed to help food companies use their labels as tools.
Joanna Mooberry, marketing and communications for Mettler-Toledo, said that changes in labeling, driven by consumer demands, regulations and other issues, are opening the door to innovations. “With consumer tastes and preferences leaning toward GMO labeling, vegetarian options and other niche dietary restrictions, we are seeing demand among manufacturers to better monitor labeling variations that are seen on these specific packages,” she said. “As such, manufacturers are looking for ways to efficiently monitor and track labeling variations to ensure products are marked accordingly.”
Among other offerings, Mettler-Toledo provides vision inspection solutions to monitor quality with systems that can inspect packages and labels with graphic IDs, barcode information and more. “Our vision systems are designed to detect many types of optical characters, barcodes and variable inkjet printing,” Ms. Mooberry said. The company has an advanced vision library and suite of tools embedded in its software, including a new dot print tool that can be used to detect variable inkjet printing.
Ms. Mooberry noted that the systems can be used with SmartLabels. “We see this as a critically important tool for consumers to learn more about a particular product,” she said. “We see requests for many inspection types, and SmartLabels are certainly something we can inspect.”
Other trends in label content and usage are fueling changes in packaging. Dave Fosse, director of marketing, key accounts, Lindar Corp., said the company’s labeling capabilities have increased activity from customers seeking quality, clear labels. “We have experienced lots of activity in clean labeling and eliminating wrap-around labels to a top and bottom label,” he said.
Lindar manufactures primary retail food packaging. It also offers labeling capabilities to apply customer-supplied labels in secondary packaging processes.
In addition to content, the quality of the label is another consideration for bakers and snack makers. According to Ms. Mooberry, Mettler-Toledo’s systems allow for inspections on label quality including the detection of folded labels, duplicated labels on a package and package integrity. “This process ensures that every product matches the branding expectations and showcases the high-quality products that consumers expect,” she said.
Other changes in label content development and processes include turnkey packaging solutions with barcode and label systems. One example is TNA’s intelli-read bar code verification scanning system, a full barcode reader that automatically scans the barcode to verify that it is correct for the product being run. TNA also provides labeling equipment from its Unique Solutions group, including a label applicator with optical sensors that enables faster setup and product sensing.
