NCCO International Food safety standards are designed to keep consumers safe while enjoying a meal – whether in a full-service restaurant or taking their food to go. These regulations are defined by the FDA to ensure restaurants, grocery and convenience stores, and other foodservice operations prioritize the food safety and the safety of their diners by maintaining their kitchens, prep stations, and food products.
Foodservice establishments that take food safety seriously, highlighting the importance of strong food safety practices in commercial and non-commercial kitchens, and the need to remain diligent with staff so no guest ends up sick (or worse!), are rewarded with loyal customers, a strong reputation, and the avoidance of penalties, fines, or closures.
Let’s discuss how food labeling systems can help maintain high standards of food safety.
Key Types of Food Safety Labeling
Allergen Labeling
Food allergies are a major health issue, with 220 million people affected worldwide, and 40% of children experiencing a life-threatening reaction when encountering an allergen, achieving full transparency through food allergen labeling is the key to keeping customers safe.
Prep Labeling
Food prep labeling ensures food items are safe to consume by labeling them at different stages – when they arrive, when they are being prepped, and when they are put into production. Efficient prep labeling also helps kitchens implement FIFO (First In, First Out) methods to ensure everything is fresh and ready to serve, and nothing gets forgotten and has to be thrown away unnecessarily.
Sell by/Use by Date Labeling
Customers need to be able to trust the date listed on the items on the shelves of grocery stores, convenience stores, and other non-commercial settings like school and hospital cafeterias – knowing if the food is safe for consumption within safe dates, especially when it comes to grab and go food items, can make all the difference. Accurate sell by and use by date labels are therefore crucial to keeping customers safe and ensuring businesses are protected.
Food Label Systems for Food Safety Success
Automated Labeling
Labeling ingredients and packaging by hand is a task that can take up to an hour or more of precious time in the kitchen. And when things get busy, the likelihood of human error – potential missing important ingredients – increases as well.
The DateCodeGenie automated labeling system, for example, makes it easy to keep food safety and allergen information accurate up to date. Not only does it make the entire labeling process easier, printing nutrition information, dietary restrictions and warning labels instantly from a unified dashboard, but it also makes mandated regulations easier to manage as well, with changes added quickly and easily for one or many restaurant locations.
DateCodeGenie labeling helps kitchen staff:
- Save time and energy
- Keep allergen information accurate, consistent, and current
- Ensure all prep food items are labeled and dated correctly
- Prioritize food safety and transparency for takeaway and delivery food items
Food Rotation Labels
From preparation to cooler to service, knowing which products to use first reduces spoilage, saving hundreds or even thousands of dollars in food waste, and helps prevent foodborne illness. NCCO’s DateIt™ Food Rotation Labeling System improves inventory management, prevents cross-contamination, ensures customer safety, and ultimately saves time and money.
Plus – there are variety of FDA-approved styles are available in dissolving, reusable, removable and permanent adhesives.
Custom Labels
Custom labels, on the other hand, are designed for a specific use, look, or purpose. They can adapt to the unique workflows of any foodservice operation and incorporate unique features like branding and logos, personalized business information, barcodes and numbering, and specific colors, sizes, materials and adhesives – which are not available on your average stock label.
Importantly, a foodservice establishment can use custom labels to advertise their food safety and allergen awareness practices, branding their business as trustworthy and safe, and gaining the attention of customers who value transparency.