Barcode printing, labelling and EPC/RFID technology provider Sato has introduced its new label printer for the food industry.
The new TH2 enables users to stick to food preparation and labelling legislation, and enables food manufacturers to conform to the latest requirements brought by a new European law on food traceability.
Introduced to better inform consumers, the law requires manufacturers to notify consumers about the origin of fresh meat, fruits and vegetables, the presence of eggs, peanuts, nuts and milk allergens as well as gluten contained in wheat, rye, barley and oats.
Manufacturers will also need to inform the consumers if a product had been defrosted previously, and they would have to use a minimal size of print font for easier reading, as part of the new regulations.
The TH2 label printer has been developed to address manufacturers needs, offer portable, standalone, intelligent printing and introduce the concept of application enabled printing (AEP).
According to the UK-based company, consumers can create a new application easily and transfer or update the information onto the SD memory of the unit through USB or LAN, with the aid of the new TH2 label printer.
The lightweight printer features an in-built keypad and a wide, adjustable LCD screen display, and allows manufacturers to add any information necessary to their food preparation that would be required legally now.
TH2, which can be operated within a temperature range between 0°C and 40°C, has an anti-microbial coating, and is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that allows printing of between 4,000 and 5,000 labels from a single charge.
