How to master food labeling
With our generic approach, you gain many benefits and have control over consumer information labeling. You print ingredient and composition information dynamically.
New challenges in food labeling
Food labeling is increasingly becoming the focus of public interest. The trend towards more sustainability and healthy food is also leading to increased information content in labeling. Consumer information such as content information, allergen highlighting, Nutri-Score as well as numerous regulatory information, quality seals and other information place high demands on the management of master data.
With the Label Management System from OPAL, which is integrated in SAP, control the labeling processes in the same place where you have access to the data. Private label scenarios and packaging sizes controlled according to the order can therefore be linked automatically to the customer order.
Advantages of integrated and generic labeling
With an end-to-end process for food labeling and centralized control in SAP, you can achieve the following advantages:
Food labeling requirements
We have summarized the current food labeling and declaration requirements related to food labeling. The labels must inform the consumer uniformly throughout the EU about the ingredients, nutritional information, portion size and recent scientific findings as well as any allergens present. But it isn’t only consumers who has requirements regarding the label. The supply chain also needs standardized logistical information, such as the Global Trading Item Number (GTIN), formerly EAN from GS1, to identify the product.
The top 6 challenges in labeling
Based on the experiences of our customers as well as the requirements for labeling systems, we have put together the 6 most important challenges for labeling in the food industry for you.
Text alignment
Multilingual ingredient and recipe text blocks require comprehensive functions to help designers create labels for different markets. Text sizes, alignments and anchors as well as multiple column support put dynamic SAP content on the label in the right form.
Tables
Nutritional information must be shown in table form on the label. Designers can arrange the nutritional information based on the applicable regulations and adjust the size and positioning of it in accordance with the available space.
Artwork
Product packaging and its appearance are important features that allow the consumer to recognize the brand products. The artwork is therefore often pre-printed as part of the labeling. Designers can integrate the artwork into their label design and show product previews with the artwork.
Multilingual labels
The languages you print in for labeling depend primarily on the destination country of the recipient of your products as well as local regulations. With the conditions you define in label management, the languages can be controlled based on the destination country or recipient. The template enables you to use dynamic arrangement of languages to print multiple languages with minimal space requirements.
National & International Regulations
As with language discovery, you can also consider other regulatory requirements for each target country with our rules. With a sensible structure for the regulation conditions, you always know what has to be printed in which country. What’s more, this gives you the opportunity to make specific customer requirements easy to maintain for the specialist department.
Data validation & Label approval / release
An ERP system like SAP is very hungry for data. All of the data from ordering, procurement, production to delivery is recorded automatically, but some of it is also recorded manually. Hardly any company can rule out errors in this flood of data. With GHS labeling, an incorrect data record can have serious consequences. That is why we developed the Content & Alert Manager, which provides companies in sensitive industries with an additional tool for validating data as well as approving and releasing labels.
Integration with SAP recipe management
SAP customers using SAP Recipe Management (PLM-RM) or the new SAP Recipe Development (PLM-RD) can access the data directly. Labels are printed with their ingredients, application details and nutritional information directly from SAP.
Exciting products for the food industry
Customers from the food & beverage industry
I show you how to print consumer information directly from SAP
You want to see live how we solve food labeling issues directly from SAP. We will gladly show you our label management system, individualized to meet your precise needs.
Live food labeling experience
