In the food industry, products need to be properly packaged and labelled for health and safety as well as for marketing. The UK Food Information Amendment, also known as Natasha’s Law, comes into effect from October 2021 and will require food businesses to provide full ingredient lists and allergen labelling on foods pre-packaged for direct sale. Though at Inspiron Systems Ltd we’ve been able to do this on our machinery since 2014.
The labelling process can easily be sped up or automated by using food labelling machines, reducing the risk of human error and creating consistency. There are various types of machines that are suitable for different food labelling applications, so this guide will help you select the right one.
Which Machines Are Best Suited to Industrial Food Labelling?
These are some of the machines most often used in food labelling processes:
- Manual and automatic weigh price labellers. The ideal option for labelling food products that are priced according to their weight, weigh price labellers come in manual and automatic options. Some heavy duty weigh price labellers can handle products up to 80kg. Throughput of automatic weigh price labelling machines can run at up to 140 packs per minute.
- Label applicators. Solutions range from simple food packaging label application to more complex options like wrap-around labelling. Label applicators offer high-speed solutions and excellent levels of accuracy – conveyors assist the application process and make it more efficient.
- Print apply machines. If you need food labels to be printed and immediately applied to packaging, a print apply machine will offer the best solution. Some popular features include:
- Single or multiple applicator heads
- Integrated conveyor systems
- Speeds of up to 200 pieces per minute
- Multi-language printing
- Automatic printer positioning
We supply industrial food labelling machines from the renowned German manufacturer Espera-Werke GMBH who are well known for their award-winning systems.
Should You Choose a Manual or Automatic Food Labelling Machine?
Some food labelling machines such as weigh price labellers will come in manual and automatic options. The main considerations here are speed, efficiency and price: automatic will be faster and more efficient, but also more expensive. We will be happy to provide pricing for both manual and automatic food labelling machines to help you decide.
How Do You Pick the Right Type of Food Labelling Machine?
Food labelling machines perform very specific tasks so it’s essential to ensure they will fulfil your requirements. You will need to have a clear understanding of in-house processes and production lines so you can account for the different types of food labelling you will need. We can then point you in the right direction.
How Much Maintenance Will Be Needed For a Food Labelling Machine?
Food labelling machines will need some maintenance but don’t let that concern you when choosing the right one. We can provide service plans that are excellent value for money and can be tailored to your specific labelling machine, helping you to keep it in good working order and avoid downtime. We also have aftersales support engineers on hand if you need assistance following installation.
Can I Get Some Advice on Choosing the Best Industrial Food Labelling Machine For My Needs?
The team at Inspiron Systems will be happy to talk you through the options and advise you on the best food labelling machine to meet your needs. We take care of the complete process, pre-sales discussion to fully understand your requirements, specifying the right machine for you taking into consideration your budget and timescale, installation of the machinery on-site, training of personnel and providing after sales support and guidance. Call 01788 890235, email sales@inspiron-gb.co.uk or send us a message.