Labels for food products

Food labels–What’s the application?

All food packaging is either directly printed, or–as with cans and jars–provided with a corresponding sticker. Labels can be round, square, circular or oval. For freshly-packed meat products and the like, self-adhesive labels are generally used, which are then further marked with details of content, quantity and best before date.

What’s so special about food labels?

In principle, labels for food products are self-adhesive, as they are for other types of packaging–bottles, cans, cartons. However, care must be taken to ensure that food labels do not infringe food legislation. Details are given below. If food labels are required, e.g. for cans, label printing is no different from other paper products. This is not the case for food labels, on which the price, quantity or best-before date are printed individually at a later date. These labels are varnished over their entire surface during the final production stage to enable subsequent printing. We recommend that you order a proof print beforehand, to ensure that the labels can be processed as desired.

What do I need to pay attention to when it comes to food labelling legislation?

The basic requirement for food labeling is compliance with the provisions of food label legislation, which naturally has repercussions on the materials and printing processes used. For example, the front face must not be in direct contact with the product. Similarly, food packaging must not be printed from the inside. Printing inks for food labels must be chosen to resist the effects of the contents, but also not to influence or alter the taste, smell or appearance of the food. It automatically follows that food labels must not transmit harmful components to the food. You can find all the information you need on how to label your food correctly on the Ministry of Economic Affairs website.

How are food labels further processed?

In the production of cans and jars, food labels are usually applied by machine. Self-adhesive labels for fresh meat packaging with subsequent printing are also often used as roll labels, which can then be glued either manually or mechanically. In principle, roll-fed labels have proved their worth for food labelling.

Material, shape and print

As mentioned above, paper is generally used to produce labels for food products. But labelletiquette.fr also offers printed films or transparent labels for your product packaging. In addition to standards such as film lamination and protective varnish, you can also opt for hot foil stamping, embossing and relief embossing. You can choose between round, square or individually shaped labels. If you’d like something unusual, we’ll be happy to advise you on the possibilities. We print paper as well as colored and transparent film labels in the highest-quality digital printing.

Labels for frozen foods

Labels for frozen products must not only be resistant to cold, but also, to a certain extent, to humidity, as condensation is to be expected in the product environment. As a general rule, labels for frozen products are made of wood-free film or paper, with an adhesive resistant to negative temperatures. These labels are particularly suitable for products that are labeled at room temperature and then frozen. They are suitable for temperatures down to -20° C. For products that are already frozen when the label is applied, we offer an additional paper with a special deep-freeze adhesive suitable for temperatures down to -50° C.

Labels for oils

Special plastic labels are also required for foods containing or preserved in oil, so that identification of the contents is guaranteed even if the food packaging leaks oil. For such cases, we have an oleophobic backing in our range. You can find it in the online calculator or ask us directly.

If you’d like to find out more, please don’t hesitate to contact our customer service department. You can reach us Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, by telephone on +33(0)4 81 68 19 73 or by e-mail at info@labelletiquette.fr.

Quality and fast delivery

The question of labels for food products is a little more complicated than that of labels for other products. More comprehensive advice is often required. In this case, simply get in touch with us–our team will give you detailed and competent advice. As professionals for all types of labels, we make no compromises when it comes to the quality of the printing processes and materials used. Whether paper, film, colored, metallic or transparent labels, high quality is our priority. What’s more, you can also have the labels of your choice produced in just 24 or 48 hours, thanks to our express production service. Of course, you can also get a first impression of our substrates and finishes at your leisure by ordering our free sample book.

Do you have any questions?

If you still have questions, you can of course contact our customer service team at any time. You can reach us Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., by telephone on +33(0)4 81 68 19 73 or by e-mail at info@labelletiquette.fr.