Food Label Verification :
A Future Shaped by Data
By Dr Russell Sion , Director
In any business world , data is reshaping the landscape . Food processing is no exception . If we consider the next big technology development , it will inevitably be a non-incremental , non-organic , move away from human labour and towards automation . In food production humans generally perform two subtasks for each primary task . In virtually every case , one of these sub-tasks is checking / quality control .
After biological contamination , label related defects are cited as
46 FDPP - www . fdpp . co . uk the second most common cause behind costly and brand-damaging product withdrawals and retailer returns . There are several powerful reasons to ensure that the labelling of food products is correct . From the perspective of a food processor , the reasons broadly fit into three categories – improved production efficiency , waste reduction and regulatory compliance .
Boosting production efficacy Automated label verification has a huge part to play in increasing production line efficiency in food factories . Many applications which were previously deemed uneconomic to automate are now being automated based solely on the unavailability of a skilled workforce .
Using technology to verify the label offers far greater benefits compared to manual inspection . Given today ’ s production speeds , it ’ s impossible for one human to accurately read and process all the data for an entire shift . Let alone check all elements of the label integrity , use by dates , country of origin , special promotions and cooking time . Operative fatigue swiftly kicks in . A few minutes is more realistic .