Prove that your food is safe, and you will gain the trust of customers and repeat customers.
In the COVID-19 era, consumers pay more attention to food safety than ever before. Food packers and preparers like you need to take measures to ensure that their orders are fresh and safe to build brand loyalty. Since you cannot package food and beverage products in locked safes and send password combinations to each customer through SMS, nor can you personally supervise each sale, you must find a safe, simple, repeatable and reliable method. Fortunately, your solution lies in a simple label.
Tamper-proof label
For the food and beverage industry, the “tamper-proof” label may be the most important label. You may have heard of other terms that sound synonymous, but there are important differences between them.
Tamper-proof: Please remember that no package is “tamper-proof”. If you want your customers to get the products they buy, delivery drivers or malicious people can also enter there. You may see labels labeled as tamper-proof, but FDA has declared that it is impossible to manufacture truly tamper-proof containers, and they do not recognize that the term is legal. By definition, any tamper-proof packaging is impermeable and can only be used as a paperweight or door stopper.
Tamper-proof: Tamper-proof packaging will slow down the handling speed of containers, thus causing trouble to potential thieves and may prevent their actions, but it may not necessarily show signs of tampering.
Tamper-proof: FDA defines tamper-proof packaging as “with one or more indicators or access barriers, if damaged or lost, it can reasonably be expected to provide visible evidence to consumers that tampering has occurred.” The goal is to clearly show customers that the packaging has not been opened, because it has left clean hands (if any), so it can be safely consumed.
Search for evidence
The first and most obvious advantage of tamper-proof seals is that they are indeed tamper-proof: the sticker or label on the package is torn or lost, thus showing evidence of tampering. If the delivery driver decides to open the customer’s pre-packaged food subscription box and deliver the fruit or bakery in the current month of each month, this will appear immediately. Although stickers and labels are most commonly used, in order to ensure additional security measures, you can invest in the purchase of labels that cannot be peeled off without tearing.
Of course, the delivery driver is not the only one to worry about. Fresh fruits and vegetables look so attractive through transparent plastic flip containers that some customers cannot resist tasting them. Transparent packaging is very suitable for showing when someone decides not to pay for that blueberry, and can judge whether the food is spoiled or damaged. But it is not enough to make the packaging clear, because it cannot indicate that someone has handled the food and put it back into the container. If they have to pass the tamper-proof seal first, at least the next customer will receive a clear warning to avoid using the package.
Protect beverages
Not all drinks are packed in bottles with plastic anti-theft nuts or easy-to-pull caps, but even those with plastic caps can benefit from additional safety. One way is to add an auxiliary label that extends from the top of the lid down to the side of the container. This can be done using standard top or top and bottom labeling machines. The appearance achieved can be elegant and modern color printing graphics, but there are better ways to ensure the final safety and security.
Shrink sleeve label: If you have used the shrink sleeve label on the beverage, it is a simple thing to modify the label to integrate the anti-tamper function. The shrink sleeve label can cover the entire container, including the cover. Perforations can be used in the label area around the cap so that customers can easily unscrew it. This means that you can still display large and beautiful graphics and assure consumers that the drinks they drink are safe.
Shrink band: If you are satisfied with the appearance of the current label, you can add a tamper-proof shrink band tunnel to the existing packaging production line. In this way, you can add a perforated sealing plastic film to the label, which will be torn off once opened. These can be clear or have their own set of graphics to gain more brand opportunities.
Other advantages
Tamper-proof seals can be an integrated solution to protect food from tampering, provide all information required to meet FDA requirements, and communicate clearly with customers. In this way, you can have only one tag with multiple functions. People want labels to convey information in a way that they can understand (organic, vegetarian, non-GM, 100% recycled packaging, etc.) and prove that their food has not been mishandled.
If the appropriate technology is used, you can personalize the label with the customer’s name and information (such as who prepared the food and when). The QR code can be printed on the front to provide customers with real benefits such as discounts or free products. If you provide multiple items from different food or beverage partners, the graphics and logo can be easily replaced. For example, if you combine a boxed sandwich lunch with a bag of Tessi chips and a can of Coca-Cola, you can highlight all brand marks on the package
