Sato UK has announced that it can offer the industry labelling systems complying with the new European Food Law on product and ingredient traceability.

Effective from January 1, 2005, the new legislation requires everyone at every stage of food production, processing and distribution to be able to show full traceability of all ingredients. Produced in response to recent food scares where products were found to be unsafe or unfit for human consumption, it aims to make it quicker and easier to withdraw any foodstuffs from the production and distribution chain. It is also designed to help consumers make informed choices about the food they eat and any genetic modification must be clearly identified and traceable.

“We are fully conversant with all the labelling requirements of the new legislation,” said Sato UK’s marketing manager David Roome. “Because we have so many customers in the food sector, we have been preparing for its introduction for several months. “Having our own software specialists, we work with businesses to tailor label design and production software so that it integrates with their traceability systems.”

Based in Harwich, Essex, with regional offices around the country, Sato UK offers a range of desktop label printers and print-apply systems for identifying primary and secondary food packaging, cases and pallets. The company is officially approved as a supplier of labelling systems by the major multiples and holds the British Retail Consortium/Institute of Packaging Technical Standard award, ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.