Get Ready to Meet Food Traceability Regulations Across the Supply Chain

Get Ready to Meet Food Traceability Regulations Across the Supply Chain
Food & Beverage
Remote Printer Management
High Resolution

In response to the growing issue of foodborne illnesses and contamination risks in the supply chain, governments are modernizing food traceability regulations. For instance, in the United States, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) section 204(d) and in the European Union, Regulation (EC) No. 178/2002 are being implemented within the food and beverage industry. The focus of these regulations is on prevention and improving transparency to protect public health.

An important development is the FSMA 204 Final Rule, which requires traceability data association for certain foods listed on the Food Traceability List (FTL), including cheeses, fresh produce, and fish/seafood. This rule applies to domestic and foreign food manufacturers, processors, packagers, and companies selling or distributing food intended for consumption in the United States. Compliance with this regulation is required by January 20, 2026.

To comply with this regulation, companies in the food supply chain must maintain records with Key Data Elements (KDEs) linked to Critical Tracking Events (CTEs). QR codes are recommended for traceability as they link specific product or batch info to update KDEs and CTEs across the value chain. In case of a contamination recall, the QR code landing page can be updated with critical information to prevent consumers from buying potentially dangerous products. GS1 standards provide guidance on meeting the Final Rule requirements.

Facilities must prioritize the implementation of preventive controls, traceability systems, and recall plans to ensure food safety. Additionally, the use of suitable printers for QR code printing is crucial in upholding these practices. The selection of printers used is a vital aspect of meeting diverse food labeling requirements. This is where our TH DH Series Desktop Printers excel, offering a user-friendly solution for a wide range of applications.

Conquer Difficult Label Printing with Ease

Conquer Difficult Label Printing with Ease

The feature-rich TH DH Series Desktop Printers possess strong capabilities to ease difficult label printing and are available in 4-inch and 2-inch applications.

Versatile: The TH DH Series label printer is versatile and can handle various types of labels, including those with permanent, removable, or freezer-grade adhesives. It supports a wide range of media widths from 15 mm to 120 mm (60 mm for the 2-inch model). The printer is also capable of printing labels as small as 10 mm by 5 mm with the aid of a narrow media adaptor. One unique feature of the TH DH Series in the food industry is its ability to print serialized QR codes for fresh fruit.

High-Precision, High-Print Quality: When printing labels that accurately represent your brand and meet food safety regulations, it's crucial to choose a thermal label printer with a proven design. The TH DH Series is one such printer, equipped with a media damper to stabilize printing and ensure high-quality results. For longer labels or PET-type media, the unique vertical DPI function minimizes deviation and solves shrinkage issues when printing freezer-grade labels on polypropylene film.

Heavy-Duty: The TH DH Series printers can print up to 7,000 labels per day.*

Manageable: Value-added printer features make operations and management easy.

  • Three shortcut buttons on the TH DH Series printers allow users to define and assign frequently used functions, such as feed/pause, reprint, and calibration.
  • Food facilities frequently use label templates, and our TSC Standalone Creator can generate a printer LCD menu, making it easy for users to access these templates. Additionally, our TSCPRTGo feature enables on-the-go printing, enhancing worker mobility within the workplace.
  • For maintenance, the Internal Embedded Webpage and virtual control panel, TSC Console, and SOTI Connect enable remote monitoring and management of printer fleets. This minimizes downtime and optimizes daily operations.
  • The TH DH Series Printers come with auto-switch printer language emulation and can immediately begin the print job without changing label templates for a seamless transition.

Future-Enabled: The TH DH Series provides a range of optional add-on modules, including wireless connectivity, cutters, a peeler, and linerless kits. For instance, if your food facilities often require variable label lengths and formats, our linerless kits offer flexibility by allowing various labeling options without the need to change media rolls, while also reducing label consumption. By choosing the TH DH series, you ensure future scalability without the need to replace the entire printer.

If you'd like to test drive our 4-inch and 2-inch TH DH Series Desktop Barcode Printers, contact our sales representatives or visit our website for more information.

 

*The print volume of 7,000 labels per day is calculated under the condition of printing 4” x 6” and 2” x 6” labels at the 203 dpi print resolution.