For the meat and poultry industry, precision and traceability are paramount to ensure safety, quality, and compliance. Coding and marking technologies play a crucial role in this process, but how? We explore the benefits of a coding and marking system in this post.
Traceability and Quality Assurance:
Coding and marking systems, such as continuous ink jet (CIJ) and thermal ink jet (TIJ), provide prints or serial numbers, dates, etc. to meet government requirements and to track the product’s entire journey – from farm to fork. This is essential for quality control, but also enables a quick response to any recalls if there are issues.
Automated packaging processes:
Automated packaging processes are on the rise, with companies aiming for increased production speeds and less downtime. Having an efficient and reliable coding and marking system can benefit production lines, and depending on the system chosen, can be flexible enough to adapt to the ever-changing requirements – for example, different shapes, materials, and sizes of meat and poultrypackaging.
Variable coding:
The legal requirements for coding and marking can be categorized into static and variable codes. Static codes encompass fixed information such as nutritional values, allergy details, producer information, and QR codes for marketing purposes. Typically, this information is either printed directly onto the packaging or included on labels. On the other hand, variable codes are dynamic and subject to change. For example, best-before dates, batch numbers, pricing information and variable data.
Unlike static codes, the incorporation of variable coding must be seamlessly integrated into the production process, aiming for optimal cost-effectiveness. A reliable, flexible coding and marking system can help with this.
Which coding and marking system should you choose?
ATD have TIJ and CIJ solutions suitable for the needs of the meat industry, but in our opinion, CIJ is the way to go. LEIBINGER CIJ printers are versatile and suitable for almost all surfaces and materials – making them ideal for integration into your production line. To find out more, get in touch today via our website or call the office on 01858 461 014.
