Food Labelling for Caterers
Solution for Both Big and Small Caterers
04/02/2012
Singapore, 04 February 2012 – SATO, a pioneer in the Automatic Identification and Data Collection (AIDC) industry and a leader in barcode printing, labelling, and EPC/RFID solutions has launched our Food Labelling Solution to all caterers in Singapore.
On 4th March 2011, the Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources, Dr Amy Khor, announced that all food caterers are required to time-stamp their packet meals and put up advisory notices at buffet meals to inform consumers when the food should be consumed by. This regulation has to be put in practice by 15th February 2012.
In conjunction with this new proposed regulation, NEA (National Environment Agency) has held four dialogue sessions with caterers to explain and discuss this new regulation. SATO was given the opportunity to give a presentation on our food labelling solution during the dialogue sessions.
We have since received many enquiries from caterers of variable operational sizes. Despite the huge diversity in each caterers’operational flow, SATO is able to meet the printing requirements of all caterers.
The SATO TH2 printer is designed to help businesses manage their label printing demand in a simple and efficient way. Its anti-microbial casing and built-in real time clock brings an added advantage to the food related industry as time is a critical factor in food preparation. Operators are also able to pre-store the templates in the printer without the need of a computer to process print-outs.
Time-stamp label based on NEA's requirement
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Here are two scenarios where the SATO labelling solution comes in handly:
Case Study 1
Overview:
A small scale restaurant that provides catering services. Following NEA’s requirement, they will need to time-stamp their packet food packets. However, their catering business is relatively small as compared to their restaurant business and their preference is to handwrite on each label.
Issues:
Soon they found the challenge of using handwritten labels. From customers' feedback, the ink had smudged on the labels and they are concerned if the food is still safe for consumption. The wastage of manpower in writing on labels has affected their restaurant operations.
Solutions:
The SATO TH2 printer is built-in with a real time calendar which allows the user to call for the current date/time. It is enhanced by an auto calculation function which allows users to calculate the actual expiry date/time based on the expiry length of each product stored in the database. Its large storage capacity of up to 2GB offers users the capability to store up to 10,000 XX of data.
As the TH2 printer supports direct thermal printing, our users no longer need to worry about smudged ink or unclear print-outs. Bundled with SATO’s customised labels, our users can impress their customers with their desired design.
Case Study 2
Overview:
A big catering company needs to send out thousands of food packets each day. Similar to all other caterers in Singapore, they are required to time-stamp their food packets according to NEA’s requirement. They knew that handwritten labels will be a hassle as the volume of food packets is large. Therefore, they thought of printing labels from their office laser printer.
Issues:
It didn’t take them long to realise how troublesome it is to use a laser printer to print labels. The massive printing causes the printer to heat up and the glue from the label melts. This creates a mess in both the printer and workspace. Furthermore, when the label is not fully printed on one sheet, it is often misplaced by the staff. Hence, a lot of wastage is caused.
Solutions:
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| CL408e Printer |
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Label Gallery Plus |
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SATO Labels |
CL408e is an industrial grade printer which is designed for heavy duty printing. Its high printing speed of 6 inch per second enables users to have a smooth and speedy operation.
Together with the CL408e printer, the SATO Label Gallery Plus software allows users to link the design template to their database. Therefore users need not conduct manual checks or perform data entries. In addition, users are able to change the label template easily with just a few clicks of the mouse.
The SATO Label Gallery Plus software uses the date/time information in your PC and auto-calculates the expired time based on the expiry time/date length stated in your database. With SATO’s labelling solution, caterers can now concentrate on preparing the tastiest food to their consumers.
Click here to view how to print a food safety label.