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Product labeling for food products is not only a legal requirement under the Food Information Regulation, but also a key factor in building customer trust. Labels provide important details about ingredients, nutritional values, shelf life, and the product’s origin. In addition, they can enhance packaging with amazing features. This article explains what manufacturers in the food industry need to consider when it comes to labeling and which modern labeling and coding systems make the process efficient and reliable!
Food labels must not only include certain mandatory information, but are also intended to streamline industrial processes and, last but not least, appeal to consumers. Self-adhesive labels are ideal for combining all of these elements. They fulfill a variety of important functions, which we will explain in more detail below.
Food labeling serves to protect consumers and build trust. Food products are labeled with information on ingredients, product characteristics, additives, allergens, genetically modified organisms, calories, sugar, fat, salt, ingredients, best-before dates, and origin. Consumers value transparent labeling and are often willing to spend more money on a high-quality product.
All food manufacturers are required to display certain information on the packaging in a clearly legible form—either through direct printing or labels. Uniform standards apply in all member states of the European Union.
The label, as a means of identification, ensures traceability. This means that the product can be traced through all stages of production, processing, and distribution. The lot number (also known as the batch number) is suitable for identifying individual batches. This is a number that is marked on all sales units manufactured under the same conditions. It consists of digits, letters, or a combination of both and usually begins with an “L.” The lot number is extremely important, among other things, in the event of a necessary product recall.
Food labels are an important advertising medium designed to boost product sales. They can attract attention, create a positive impression, and enhance brand recognition. They often feature appetizing serving suggestions, creative recipe ideas, or interesting health-related information. Printed promotional offers, such as contests and promotional codes, can also provide special incentives to buy.
Certain label features ensure that products are uniquely identifiable. Labels offer an effective way to protect goods against counterfeiting, safeguarding consumers and protecting brand owners from lost sales and unjustified product liability claims. Custom-designed labels with special features—such as holograms, color-shifting effects, tamper-evident label materials, security seals, or hidden elements (e.g., embedded threads or special inks)—make it difficult or impossible to counterfeit a product label.
Tamper-evident labels enhance consumer and product protection. They indicate when a product has already been opened. Labels are a highly reliable solution in this context, as they can incorporate unique features. Examples include specially shaped tamper-evident seals or labels with special perforations that tear when opened. Label materials that cannot be completely removed from the product but instead shatter into many small pieces also offer reliable tamper-evidence protection. So-called void labels leave a distinctive mark on the product when they are peeled off. Reapplication is impossible.
Industrial labeling serves as a crucial link between the product and the processes in logistics and retail. Modern supply chains rely on the ability to uniquely identify every single product at all times—whether for shipping to a retail partner, for automated warehousing and order picking, or for scanning at the supermarket checkout. A must-have for every product sold is the GTIN product number, which encodes all stored product data—such as name, weight, and product category—and is essential for retail listing. Cartons and pallets used for the transport and storage of food can be equipped with logistics labels such as the SSCC label to capture the data of all contained products with a single scan. In the e-commerce sector, shipping labels also ensure fast delivery to customers.
The EU Food Information to Consumers Regulation specifies the information that must appear on food packaging:
Product name
The product must be described clearly and objectively so that everyone understands what food item it is.
List of Ingredients
Information about the ingredients must be listed in descending order of weight. The 14 most relevant allergens must also be listed in the ingredients list, provided they may be present.
Net content
The quantity of the product must be stated in terms of number of units, weight in grams or kilograms, or, for liquids, in milliliters or liters.
Best-by date or use-by date
The best-by date indicates how long the product (under certain storage conditions, if applicable) will retain its desired quality. Certain products (e.g., raw meat) must display a use-by date, after which the food is no longer safe to eat.
Nutritional information
The following nutritional information must be listed in a clear format (usually as a table) and in the prescribed order: energy (in kJ and kcal), fat and of which saturated fatty acids, carbohydrates and of which sugars, protein, and salt. Nutritional values such as dietary fiber, vitamins, or minerals may be included voluntarily, provided they are present in significant amounts.
Lot number
This allows for tracing when and in which batch the product was produced, manufactured, and packaged.
Name and address
The name and address of the manufacturer, packager, or seller must be clearly visible.
This mandatory information must be displayed in the official language of the country where the product is sold, in a clearly visible location, in a legible and permanent manner.
The purchase price must be indicated either on the packaging or near the product, e.g., on the shelf. For all food products sold by weight or volume, the unit price (price per 100 g or per 1 kg, or for liquids, price per 100 ml or per 1 l) must also be displayed.
In addition, manufacturers may use voluntary labeling on their packaging. This refers to additional information intended to provide added value to the customer. Examples include expanded nutrition labeling with the Nutri-Score, the vegan label, or the carbon footprint.
When selecting the right labels for food products, all of the manufacturer’s requirements and the conditions in their production environment must be carefully assessed in advance.
Food safety regulations
Production and storage conditions
Packaging Properties
Based on these and other decision criteria, label material and adhesive can be ideally tailored to the specific application. Paper labels are considered an economical and environmentally friendly solution for many standard applications. They are versatile and can be printed with high contrast. However, they are generally not water- or tear-resistant. Film labels made of PP, PE, or PET material are somewhat more expensive but significantly more robust and extremely resistant to water, grease, and chemicals. They adapt better to flexible packaging, can appear more premium, and allow for a transparent “no-label” look. In addition, there are other special labels that, for example, feature specific security features, are compostable, or are made from particularly sustainable materials.
The possibilities for custom shapes, sizes, and designs are virtually unlimited. Professional label manufacturers like Weber Marking Systems can produce a wide variety of label types, including those for industrial use in large print runs. Feel free to contact us for a quote—we look forward to hearing from you!
For very small quantities, it may be sufficient to label packages by hand and using a label printer. If you want to print colored labels professionally yourself, you can use a color label printer. If you want to print black-and-white barcode labels, thermal transfer printers are available.
For cylindrical products such as bottles, jars, and cans with medium batch sizes, semi-automatic labeling machines like the Geset 141 are ideal; in this machine, the products are placed in a labeling station, where they are then automatically labeled all around. This process is significantly faster and ensures more consistent results than manual labeling.
For industrially produced food in large quantities, fully automatic labeling lines are used in production and packaging lines. Specialized labeling systems feature modules that automatically align products as they approach on the conveyor belt and apply labels to multiple sides. For flat products and cartons, there are automatic labelers for pre-printed labels or label print-and-apply systems that print each label individually before application.
Instead of using label material, food labels can also be applied to packaging via inkjet coding. This is particularly suitable for variable production data, 2D codes, logistics information, and simple graphics. The advantages include lower operating costs, faster printing speeds, and less waste from backing material.
