Every kitchen is looking for ways to be more efficient. Automation is one of the easiest ways to save time and streamline operations, and automated labelling specifically might be the most useful way to improve efficiency. Labelling by hand can take up to an hour of an employee’s precious time, and should they get caught in the weeds during a rush, can increase the risk of error.
Let’s take a little time to talk about automated labelling for food safety and nutrition information in the hospitality industry.
Labelling Requirements
First, let’s take a look at what is required on labels by law.
Nutrition Information
According to Food Standard Agency (FSA) rules and regulations, labels must have more than just the name of the food item and its ingredients. When providing nutrition information, a food business must declare the following:
- Energy value
- Amounts of fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt
These mandatory declarations can be supported with numerical amounts of one or more of the following:
- Monounsaturates
- Polyunsaturates
- Polyols
- Starch
- Fibre
- Certain vitamins or minerals present in significant amounts as outlined in Regulation 1169/2011 – Part A of Annex XIII
Learn more: food.gov.uk
Allergen Information
Food businesses must disclose if there are any allergens contained in the ingredients of the food they provide. There are 14 allergens that must be declared according to the FSA. They are as follows:
- Celery
- Cereals containing gluten (wheat, barley and oats)
- Crustaceans (prawns, crabs and lobsters)
- Eggs
- Fish
- Lupin
- Milk
- Molluscs (mussels and oysters)
- Mustard
- Peanuts
- Sesame
- Soybeans
- Sulphur dioxide and sulphites – if the sulphur dioxide and sulphites are at a concentration of more than ten parts per million)
- Tree nuts (such as almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, brazil nuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios and macadamia nuts).
These standards also apply to any additives, processing aids and other substances used in the product.
Learn more: FSA Allergen Guidance
Automated Labelling for Your Business
New technologies reduce the need for hand labelling prep ingredients, FIFO and Use-By dates, and other important information. Additionally, as the food safety discussion includes keeping patrons with allergies and dietary restrictions safe as well, automated labelling ensures all relevant information is clear and easy to read, not lost or forgotten during food preparation or sale.
Automated labelling technology like NCCO’s DateCodeGenie® takes care of your labelling needs in the kitchen to make this process as easy as possible. Staff can print labels with one simple click from one unified dashboard, including:
- Date Labels
- Prep Labels
- Ingredient Lists
- Allergen information