Consumer demands for transparency around where products are sourced and how they are processed extend far beyond marketing claims; it affects your production floor. For food and beverage operations, traceability is more than just answering “Where did this come from?” or “What’s in this?” It’s a regulatory requirement that helps to guarantee food safety. While traceability has always been important for recall management and compliance, growing expectations for greater transparency have increased the stakes.
So, how does this emphasis on traceability affect your production? It starts with making sure your packaging line and marking process are equipped to create reliable barcodes and labels that withstand the journey through the supply chain. How you package products directly affects consumers’ access to vital information and might be the differentiator that leads them to say “yes” to a purchase.
Here are a few tips to help optimize your line for better traceability.
Why Traceability Matters More Than You Think
Traceability is the process of tracking a product at every stage of production. For food and beverage manufacturers, it means recording all the raw ingredients, what additives went into a product, how it was handled, and where it’s been at every step. The FDA established traceability regulations to minimize food safety risks. Whether you’re part of the distribution process or a consumer, having easy access to key product information, such as expiration dates, is critical for food safety. Proper traceability holds businesses accountable for the product information they put into the market. When something does go wrong, accurate lot code records are what make a recall targeted and enacted quickly rather than more broadly focused and costly.
The benefits of strong traceability for an organization:
- Mitigates the recall risk of a large portion of products and associated costs
- Creates a shared record across production, quality, and distribution teams
- Supports regulatory compliance
- Protects brand reputation by demonstrating product accountability
- Gives production teams real-time visibility into batch status and inventory
- Creates consumer trust with transparent product information
And all that tracking flows through one thing: what gets printed and applied on your packaging line.
Choose The Right Marking System
Food suppliers have a responsibility to provide long-lasting codes and labels that withstand the environmental conditions of distribution and provide accurate, scannable access. For that to happen, production lines need the right marking system to ensure every product is printed and packaged to that standard. If you are looking for a practical way to improve your traceability, evaluating whether your equipment is producing the required code quality is a first step to making a noticeable impact. Here are MarkPack’s recommended printers to help provide the efficiency and accuracy that production lines need for traceability:
Hitachi UX2
For operations that run high-volume food and beverage lines, the Hitachi UX2 is what we point to first. It runs a dot control algorithm that produces clearer codes at twice the speed of older models, and a patented “ink guard” gives you three times the run time between printhead cleanings. Hitachi also carries the lowest cost per code in the industry, which adds up fast when you’re coding millions of units a year.
Norwix .Uno Thermal Marking System
For operations where maintenance downtime is a greater concern than volume, the Norwix .Uno takes a different approach entirely. It’s a zero-maintenance system with easy cartridge replacement. It prints barcodes, lot codes, and expiry dates at up to 600 dpi, and each cartridge can produce up to 100,000 prints before needing replacement.
FlexPackPRO 420 Series Thermal Transfer Overprinter
The FlexPackPRO 420 Series is built for high-volume packaging and labeling environments. Its 300 dpi Kyocera printhead delivers high quality consistent output, and total cost of ownership runs 25–40% lower than competing systems. It also handles 2D barcode printing, making it a great addition to get your line ready to meet new GS1 traceability standards
Label Application Is Part of Traceability Too
A precisely printed barcode means nothing if it ends up in the wrong place. We all know scanners can be finicky, and inaccurately applied labels can cause failed scans, creating a barrier to individuals accessing traceable information via barcode labels.
Placement consistency is an equipment question. Here are MarkPack’s top recommendations for label application:
IMA Phoenix Pallet3
MarkPack carries the IMA Phoenix Pallet3, an automatic print-and-apply system. Its programmable multi-axis applicator hits the same position on multiple sides of the pallet every cycle.
IMA Phoenix FlexiMate WindGrip
For facilities running without compressed air, the IMA Phoenix FlexiMate WindGrip delivers the same precision as a fully electric system.
Get Your Line GS1-Ready
Updating your process to support greater transparency is no longer an option, but an industry-wide shift. The GS1 Sunrise 2027 initiative has set the expectation that POS systems across retail and healthcare will support 2D barcode scanning by the end of 2027. For food and beverage manufacturers, this framework ties traceability, transparency, and compliance together in one place.
A GS1-compliant 2D barcode carries lot codes, expiration dates, serial numbers, and a GS1 Digital Link. The barcode includes a web connection that can route internal teams to logistics data, while giving consumers access to product details from the same barcode.
What does this mean for your production lines? Your coding systems and team will need to adopt a new process to handle 2D barcode printing.
What’s the difference between 1D and 2D barcodes?
- 2D barcodes store data horizontally and vertically, compared to a 1D barcode’s single strip.
- Where a traditional barcode might store 20 characters, a 2D code can store exponentially more information.
- That extra capacity for information storage is what makes lot tracking, expiration dates, and GS1 Digital Link possible with 2D barcodes.
- 2D barcodes use dot placement in compact patterns, which makes precise printing essential.
As you begin preparing your operations for 2D barcodes, evaluate your current marking and coding equipment. Having reliable systems that can handle these new traceability-forward codes will have the greatest impact on your production efficiency and costs.
FAQs
Q: Where do I start if traceability feels like a big lift?
A: Getting codes and labels accurate with consistent print quality and placement is the first step to ensuring access to traceable data. If your equipment is experiencing repeated issues that are preventing clean, reliable codes, it is worth having our service team evaluate it for repairs or an upgrade.
Q: Can my current marking and coding system handle 2D barcodes?
A: Not necessarily. 2D barcodes have higher resolution and dot consistency requirements than traditional codes. A few things worth looking at are whether your existing equipment can produce the resolution and print quality required for 2D barcodes. If you are uncertain, it’s worth an evaluation. Our team is happy to take a look and talk through what makes sense for your line.
Q: How does label placement affect a barcode scan?
A: Scanners require a clear view of the code to access information properly. If a label is misplaced, the barcode may be unreadable, even if the print quality is good. Having accurate placement is also important for customer perception and branding. If you are seeing consistent placement errors on your line, it is worth evaluating your current label printing system and potentially upgrading to an automated label applicator.
Let’s Look at Your Line
MarkPack NagelShippers has been helping manufacturers across Michigan and Ohio close meaningful production gaps for over 80 years. We understand the growing need for equipment that can print precise, reliable codes to meet traceability requirements. Reach out to our team for a free on-site consultation. We’ll assess where your marking and coding setup stands today and help you make an investment that will actually close gaps.