Review traceability systems

Coding specialists Linx Printing Technologies says new EU regulations regarding traceability for food packaging underline the importance of having an effective and workable system in place,

This may also see an increase in the coding of individual packs by packaging manufacturers.

Under the new regulations, which came into force on 27th October, full traceability is now required for all materials and articles that come into contact with food.

This means that companies need to have systems in place that link every area of the supply chain to allow easy identification of the businesses from which and to which materials, articles, substances and products are supplied.

As Nadine Hansen of Linx explains, while most food packs already include traceability information, it is now essential to be able to trace information right back to the source of a problem, should the need arise.

"If there are any issues with the packaging, the food company needs to be able to pinpoint exactly from which supplier the pack came".

"Likewise, that supplier must know the source of supply for the raw materials used in the pack's manufacture," she points out.

"Clearly the responsibility for effective tracking lies with different companies at different stages of the supply chain, but for everyone to comply, companies need to liaise closely with each other to ensure that no links in the chain are broken." Linx says that one effect of the new regulations may be that pack manufacturers decide to code individual products.

"Up until now, pallet or outer case labels have generally been used to identify production batches as they are shipped to fillers," continues Nadine.

"However, once the pallet or case is broken down, information about an individual pack's manufacture can be lost".

"There are of course a variety of ways in which this information can be stored and accessed if needed, but a simple discreet manufacturing code on the pack, using UV ink or laser technology for example, would help simplify this part of the traceability operation.

"Linx believes that awareness of the new regulations among manufacturers is currently quite low".

"Although most companies probably already do enough to comply with the new rules, it is important that they and their suppliers check the requirements carefully and review existing systems, " advises Nadine.

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