Solving: Eliminate Errors in Food Package Labeling

At PaladinID, we create labels for specific applications that may eliminate errors in food package labeling.  As we’re seeing the Food & Beverage industry expand with barcode verification and authentication, we wanted to share this Case Study by Microscan.

Error-Proofing Food Packaging Processes —A BARCODE CASE STUDY

Often, as food manufacturers look to develop quick response packaging solutions, different labels are spliced to fill reels, in anticipation of a multi-SKU order. To prevent food packaging from being mislabeled, many factories rely on paperwork checks and human intervention. Labels are attached to paperwork and manually signed off. Often, different labels can be confused if label designs are similar, and can result in costly food mislabels.

This also applies to “spliced” reels in which multiple reels of labels are attached together.  Packaging suppliers can easily splice the wrong labels together, resulting in an operator placing the correct label reel on a food packaging assembly machine, but inadvertently switching to an incorrect label design midway through the process. Operators packing the product may not notice the change due to high line speeds.

End of Line verification solutions use barcode readers to detect incorrect labels and halt the assembly line, providing extra security to the packing operation.  Increasingly, food manufacturing End of Line solutions are being configured to read a 2D Data Matrix code. The reader is installed in conveyor applications throughout the plant floor, reading different types of barcodes based upon where the product is in the assembly and packaging process.  Whether its a 1D or a 2D barcode being batch applied further down the conveyor, and regardless of where the code is located on the packaging, these End of Line system readers scan and verify all the labels and barcodes associated with the packaging process.  At every point a barcode is scanned, the number is checked against a database to ensure there is a match. If a match is not detected, a signal can be sent to stop the line to prevent wrong labels going out on packs.

Result:

With quick-response order fulfillment, manufacturers are spending more time and energy in an effort to eliminate errors in food package labeling.  End of Line verification solutions provide food and beverage manufacturers with a robust system to ensure correct packing selection and date coding.  Any manufacturer looking for automation solution will see key technical advantages in using the Microscan systems.  At PaladinID, we are proud to be referring our clients to Microscan systems for reading retail barcodes and 2D codes in larger areas repeatedly and at high speeds.

Also visit our Food Packaging and Label Accuracy blog post for more about the actual application of the labels.

This information has been extracted from Error-Proofing Food Packaging Processes: Case Study IP65/67 ©2010 Microscan Systems, Inc. 10/10

About Microscan:
Founded in 1982, Microscan has a strong history of technology innovation including the invention of the first laser diode barcode scanner and the 2D symbology Data Matrix. In 2008, Microscan acquired the Siemens Machine Vision division. Today, Microscan remains a technology leader in automatic identification and machine vision with extensive solutions for ID tracking, traceability and inspection.