Coding for Food Packaging: Compliance Essentials

Food safety regulations across markets require clear, durable and legible coding on packs, production date, expiry, lot or batch number and often a traceability or GS1 code. Getting coding wrong risks recalls, rejected shipments and fines.

Key requirements:
– Legibility: codes must remain scannable through the supply chain, including on frozen or humid film.
– Permanence: for many regulators a rub-resistant, non-smearable mark is mandatory; laser or TTO generally outperform manual stamps.
– Accuracy: date and lot must match the production record; automated printers reduce human error versus handwritten or roller coding.
– Traceability: GS1-128 or DataMatrix codes enable lot-level tracking from factory to shelf.

Material matters: TTO and TIJ suit PE/PP film and pouches; CO2 laser suits cartons and glass; UV laser suits sensitive films. Choose the technology to the substrate to keep codes compliant and readable.

DEMAC supplies food-grade compliant coding systems with full documentation to support audits and certifications.