Is Laser Printing The Future Of Food Labelling?

Local Articles
Jul 26, 2017 · 2 min read

Earlier this year, Swedish supermarkets began their quest to loose the humble fruit sticker for a totally environmentally friendly alternative. But does this mean that laser printing is becoming the future of the label?

By replacing the fruit sticker, the Swedish supermarket said, could save up to 10 tonnes of paper waste and 5 tonnes of glue every year. This is one of the latest feats in the supermarket battle to captivate environmentally friendly and organic shoppers which now account for up to one fifth of the fruit and vegetable market.

However, laser labelling has been around for a few years but has predominantly been used for marketing or branding purposes. Now supermarkets are harnessing the power of the environmentally aware shopper and user it as the primary way to display the information we’re used to seeing the sticker.

The innovative idea has now been rolled out in British supermarket giant, M&S, who are using the methods to label their avocados. The fruits will now display the shop logo, best before date, country of origin and the product code that’s to be entered into the till on it’s skin. This is done by shining an intense light into the avocado skin.

It’s been suggested that although the cost of the machine is considerable, it becomes almost as cost effective as stickers over time. What’s more, the laser method uses less than 1% of the carbon emissions need to produce a sticker of a similar size.

However, not all the responses about the laser printed food labels have been positive. A similar method was tried out last year on citrus fruit but it was quickly discontinued as it was discovered that the method had caused deterioration in skin quality.

So, it looks like the jury is still out on whether laser printed labels really are the way forward! In the meantime, at Itstick Labels we still think there’s plenty we can do with labels- especially as we provide everything from barcode labels to allergen labelling. Check out our website today and explore what we can do! Why not get in contact too? We’d love to hear from you!

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Writing eclectic content about some of my favourite local businesses in Gloucestershire, UK.

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