The Impact of Quality and Traceability Solutions for Coding on Dairy Products

Lot coding is usually a mix of unique numbers and letters that identifies a specific batch or production run. On the other hand, date coding is the printing or coding of production or expiration date information on a product’s primary and or secondary packaging.

The structure of lot codes is formed based on information such as production date, shift, line number, and sequential number. These data types are used to create a unique combination of letters and numbers to identify a specific production batch. Common examples of date codes are used by, expiration date, and best-before/sell-by.

Lot or date codes can be printed on primary packaging like yogurt cups or milk cartons or secondary packaging materials such as cartons containing multiple units of primary packaging.

Dairy industry coding and marking are important for several reasons. Expiration date coding, for example, serves as a guide for customers on product freshness and expiration. This benefit ties into the significance of regulatory compliance. Regulatory requirements ask that product packaging include necessary information, including disclosures of allergies. There is no point in producing products if they pose health risks to consumers.

Understanding the role of lot/date coding helps manufacturers ensure they select the right coding solution for their production lines.

Both lot coding and date coding are crucial for traceability and quality assurance in the production of dairy products.

Speed, accuracy, integration of coding systems, and visibility of prints on varying packaging surfaces are some challenges manufacturers face when coding and marking food packages.

Production lines must move quickly if manufacturers are to meet consumers' ever-increasing demands. Traditional printing solutions are notoriously slow. Their inability to keep up with modern production requirements leads to inefficiencies and, eventually, downtime.

This is where printers for dairy coding, such as continuous inkjet printers, come into the picture as a solution provider. CIJ printers offer high-speed printing capabilities, making them the preferred marking technology in many applications, including dairy production.

Apart from human operators programming the right lot codes or date information on a printer for accuracy of input, industrial printers must be able to print on varying packaging materials without smudges or prints erasing. Print information inaccuracies could lead to food allergies as a result of missing nutritional information. A handful of allergy cases with consumers is enough to precipitate massive product recalls or heavy regulatory fines, which can be very costly for the business.

The MK-G Series Integrated Smart Assist Camera and Smart Program Changing feature helps prevent printing mistakes that often stem from user input during changeover. When printer settings are switched on, the corresponding vision system’s settings are also changed, enabling mistake-free inspections. This versatility and adaptability contribute immensely to quality product delivery into the market.

The stability of ink particles under extreme temperature and humidity conditions ensures consistent print quality. One way the MK-G Series combats temperature and humidity changes is with our Ink Particle Optimization (Break Point Monitor) which adjusts the break point of each droplet of ink as viscosity changes due to temperature fluctuations. By implementing this feature, we can ensure consistent, quality prints, in ever changing environments. Accurate and reliable printing also translates into effective product documentation and traceability for manufacturers.

Another reason the MK-G Series is the product of choice for many dairy manufacturers is due to the several functions that are automated and require a low input of skilled labor. Thanks to the MK Dock, the printer is self-diagnosing and troubleshooting which allows the unit to recover from errors and required cleaning quicker than other unit on the market.

Tool-free, one-touch part replacement paired with on-screen instructions allows operators without specialized knowledge the ability to complete troubleshooting and replacement of faulty parts that can cause production downtime.

To learn more about how the MK-G Series can help with dairy product packaging date coding lot coding, contact us today.