Food Labels and HACCP - Requirements and Types

The food industry has specific label requirements - they must be safe for health, resistant to moisture and low temperatures, and comply with HACCP standards. In this guide, we explain what labels to choose for food products.

What is HACCP and How Does It Affect Labels?

HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) is a food safety management system mandatory for all food industry companies in the EU. In the context of labels, HACCP requires:

• Material safety - labels must not contain harmful substances
• Condition resistance - labels must remain legible throughout shelf life
• Traceability - ability to track products (barcodes, batch numbers)
• Proper labeling - expiration date, ingredients, allergens

Types of Food Labels

1. Cold Storage Labels (0°C to +8°C)

For products stored in refrigerators. Requirements:

• Moisture-resistant adhesive
• Paper or PP film resistant to condensation
• ECO or TOP thermal labels

2. Freezer Labels (-40°C to -18°C)

The most challenging conditions for labels. They require:

• Special deep-freeze adhesive - standard adhesive doesn't stick to frozen surfaces
• PP or PE film - paper can delaminate
• Thermal transfer printing with resin ribbon - thermal print can fade in freezers

3. Retail Scale Labels

Used in meat, produce, and bakery departments. Typical sizes: 58x40mm, 58x60mm. They contain:

• Product name
• Price per kg and total price
• Weight
• Packaging date and expiration date
• EAN barcode

4. Food Packaging Labels

Product labels containing full legally required information:

• Product name
• Ingredients and nutritional values
• Allergens (highlighted)
• Expiration date / "best before"
• Storage conditions
• Manufacturer information
• EAN barcode

Food Label Materials

Material	Application	Temperature
ECO Thermal Paper	Scales, registers, short-term	+5°C to +40°C
TOP Thermal Paper	Cold storage, moisture	-20°C to +60°C
PP Film	Frozen foods, wet products	-40°C to +80°C
PE Film	Flexible packaging	-30°C to +60°C

Labels for Gastronomy

Restaurants, catering, and ready-to-eat food stores need labels for:

• Marking semi-finished products - opening date, expiration date, contents
• FIFO rotation - "first in, first out"
• Allergen marking - colored labels for specific allergens
• Temperature control - indicator labels that change color

Certifications and Standards

When choosing food labels, pay attention to:

• Food contact certificate - compliance with EU Regulation 1935/2004
• BRC/IFS - food safety standards
• BPA-free - especially in thermal labels
• ISEGA or Food Contact certification - German institute's confirmation of material safety for food contact labels
• FDA compliance (for US export) - alignment with American food safety regulations
• EU Regulation 10/2011 - plastic materials intended to come into contact with food

EU Regulation 1169/2011 - Mandatory Information on Food Labels

The Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and Council is the key legal act regulating food labeling across the entire European Union. Every food product label must contain the following information:

• Product name - compliant with regulations, not misleading to consumers
• List of ingredients - in descending order by weight at the time of use in production
• Allergens - visually highlighted (bold, capitals, different color or underline)
• Net quantity - in units of mass (g, kg) or volume (ml, l)
• Date of minimum durability ("best before") or use-by date for perishable products
• Storage and use conditions - especially after opening
• Name and address of manufacturer or EU importer
• Country of origin - for specific categories (meat, vegetables, olive oil, honey)
• Instructions for use - when needed for proper consumption
• Alcohol content - for beverages above 1.2% vol.
• Nutrition declaration - energy, fat (including saturated), carbohydrates (including sugars), protein, salt

The minimum font size for mandatory information is 1.2 mm x-height (or 0.9 mm for packaging with largest surface below 80 cm²). When producing labels through a printing house, adherence to these norms is essential.

Food Allergens - How to Correctly Label

The EU requires clear marking of 14 allergen groups on every food label:

1. Cereals containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, khorasan)
2. Crustaceans
3. Eggs
4. Fish
5. Peanuts
6. Soybeans
7. Milk (including lactose)
8. Tree nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios, macadamia)
9. Celery
10. Mustard
11. Sesame seeds
12. Sulphur dioxide and sulphites (above 10 mg/kg)
13. Lupin
14. Molluscs

Allergens in the ingredients list must be visually highlighted - most commonly by bolding (wheat, milk), less often in italics or underlined. In gastronomy and catering, a color-coded label system for allergenic products is also used.

Best Before vs Use By Date

This is one of the most commonly confused concepts in food labeling:

• "Best before:" (minimum durability date) - after this date, the product may lose quality (taste, texture), but is still safe to consume. Applies to long-shelf-life products: pasta, canned foods, coffee, tea, sugar
• "Use by:" (use-by date) - after this date, the product is no longer safe to consume for food safety reasons. Applies to highly perishable products: meat, fish, dairy, ready meals

Producers must print dates in a durable and legible way - TOP thermal labels with protective coating ensure high date readability even in refrigerated conditions.

QR Codes and 2D Labels in Food Industry - The Future of Traceability

GS1 is rolling out the 2D barcodes (GS1 Digital Link) standard, set to replace classic EAN-13 barcodes in the food industry by 2027. QR codes on food labels enable:

• Product origin verification - customer scans and sees full product history (farm, production line, batch)
• Full ingredient list and allergen display - more readable than on a small label
• Shelf-life management in stores and warehouses (automatic batch withdrawal after date)
• Product recall responsiveness - rapid identification of specific batches
• Marketing content delivery - recipes, videos, loyalty programs

We print food labels with QR codes, DataMatrix and GS1 Digital Link using thermal transfer printers like Zebra and TSC. We also produce custom printed labels with integrated 2D codes as part of graphic design.

Organic and Regional Product Labeling

Organic and regional products have additional requirements:

• EU organic logo (Euro-leaf) - mandatory for organic products packaged in the EU
• Certification body number (e.g., PL-EKO-01, DE-ÖKO-006)
• Agricultural origin designation ("EU Agriculture", "Non-EU Agriculture", "EU/Non-EU Agriculture")
• Geographical indications: PGI (Protected Geographical Indication), PDO (Protected Designation of Origin), TSG (Traditional Specialty Guaranteed)

Frequently Asked Questions - Food Labels and HACCP

HACCP Labels - What Else You Should Know

Implementing HACCP in a food company requires integrating labels into production processes. Critical Control Points (CCP) often require markings at every stage: from raw material receipt, through production, packaging, to customer shipment. We use for this purpose:

• Traceability labels with batch numbers and dates
• Status labels (approved/rejected/quarantine) in different colors
• Cleanliness labels ("washed", "sterilized", "ready to use")
• Temperature control labels - time-temperature indicators

As a Polish label manufacturer we deliver comprehensive HACCP labeling solutions - from graphic design, through thermal transfer printing, to logistics delivery. We hold compliance certifications per Regulation 1935/2004 and offer BPA-free materials. We serve restaurants, catering companies, meat processing plants, and bakeries across the EU and beyond.

See Also:

• Thermal Labels - Products
• Thermal Transfer Labels - Products