On October 1, 2021, Natasha’s Law will be coming into force, bringing significant changes to the way food is packaged and labelled. Natasha’s Law will require businesses to clearly display all ingredients and allergens on any foods that are pre-packaged for direct sale on the premises. According to the new rules, allergenic ingredients should be emphasised to ensure they are clear and visible, such as in bold or italics, while also adhering to font size requirements. The new rules will protect consumers with allergies, giving them confidence in the food they purchase.
Many businesses across Northamptonshire that pre-package food for sale prior to purchase will be affected by the amendment, including a number of cafés, sandwich shops and convenience stores, as well as others that operate in catering and hospitality industries.
Kettering-based AM Labels Limited (AML), an award-winning colour label printing machine specialist, label manufacturer, barcoding and software solution expert, has a comprehensive portfolio consisting of a variety of label printers, enabling businesses to create allergen labels that comply with the introduction of Natasha’s Law.
Brendon Bass, Sales and Marketing Manager at AM Labels Limited said: “Changes to the law regarding the way food is labelled can be daunting, particularly for many small businesses across Northamptonshire. With a quarter of a century of experience, our expert team can support your business in preparing for the new rules.”
AML stocks a selection of thermal and inkjet label printers, enabling businesses to produce high-quality labels, with ease. Thermal label printers, commonly used within the food industry, are predominantly single colour, transferring images onto the media using a heat process to produce barcodes, text and simple logos. For added durability, a ribbon can be used to transfer images. Alternatively, inkjet label printers disperse liquid ink from a cartridge onto the media, enabling users to create more detailed, coloured labels.
A range of models, including entry level, desktop printers starting at around £150, such as the Zebra ZD220, and heavy duty, industrial printers are also available from AML, ideal for businesses with either low or high-volume labelling requirements.
Within AML’s thermal range is the Zebra ZT411 industrial thermal label printer. The ZT411 is a high-volume industrial printer that is both versatile and flexible, offering print resolutions of either 203, 300 or 600 dpi. With a large, colour touch display and print speeds of up to 14 inches per second, this model offers effortless media and ribbon loading for additional ease of use.
For businesses that require an inkjet printer for detailed, coloured labels, AML offers the bestselling Epson ColorWorks C6000 Series. With a four-inch print width, 1200 dpi resolution and excellent durability, the C6000 Series can print full-colour labels as small as 25.4mm wide, ideal for food labelling. An eight-inch version, the Epson ColorWorks C6500 printer, is also available for businesses that require larger labels.
AML further offers a selection of bespoke software solutions that can support businesses in producing ingredient and allergen labels that are highly accurate and legally compliant.
Brendon Bass added: “We make selecting a label printer a simple and straightforward process, supporting our customers throughout purchasing and installation, to technical support and maintenance. Our broad portfolio guarantees that, whatever your business’s budget and requirements may be, we can offer a printer to support you in being fully compliant with the new guidelines.”
For more information on how AM Labels can help your business prepare for Natasha’s Law, call the sales team on 01536 414222 or email sales@amlabels.co.uk
