Weighing and labelling prepacked food

A prepacked product gets a label stating what is in it and how much. If that weight comes from a scale, that scale also determines whether your label is correct. This is how you tie the two together.

Two ways of labelling

The first: the product has a fixed content - 500 g - and you check whether the package reaches that content. The label is then the same everywhere and the weight is preprinted on it. What you need in that case is explained in the e-mark on prepackages.

The second: every piece weighs differently - a piece of cheese, a fish, a roast - and the label states the actual weight and usually the price as well. Then the scale prints the label itself, with the weight it has just weighed. In our range these are under label printing scales.

When the scale must be verified

As soon as the price follows from the weight, the scale is a trade instrument: it must carry the green M mark and the user is responsible for keeping it within tolerance. That applies in the shop, at the market and in the back of the production area, and also when the customer only sees the label on the shelf. See what a verified scale is.

What goes on the label

The weight the scale prints is the net weight: the product without packaging. So the tare must be correct, and recorded again for each new type of packaging. In addition to weight and price, a label printing scale usually prints the product name, the date, a best-before date that it calculates itself, a batch number and a barcode that includes the weight, so the till does not need to retype anything.

The construction: easy to keep clean

In an environment with meat, fish or moisture, the construction is not a side issue. A stainless steel housing, a removable platform and an IP rating that can withstand rinsing matter more than a finer scale interval. What IP ratings mean and where stainless steel does and does not help is explained in IP, stainless steel and ATEX.

The data afterwards

A label printing scale keeps track of what has been weighed and printed: per product, per day, per operator. That is immediately your production record and, if necessary, the evidence in a product recall. If you want it in your own system, an indicator or the scale itself connects via network or USB. We set up that integration and make sure the article data does not have to be typed in twice.

What we supply

Label printing scales and retail scales that print price and weight, verified from the factory where required, with the label rolls included. And the maintenance afterwards: calibration and repair, with original parts and authorised by the manufacturer; re-verification is arranged through the manufacturer.

Frequently asked questions

Does a label printing scale have to be verified?

Yes, as soon as the price follows from the weight. It is then a trade instrument and must carry the M mark. If the scale only prints a weight for internal use, it does not need to be.

What is the difference between a retail scale and a label printing scale?

A retail scale calculates the price and shows it to the customer; a label printing scale also prints a label, with weight, price, date and barcode. Many models can do both.

Can the scale calculate the best-before date itself?

Yes. You record the number of days per product; the scale adds them to the packing date and prints the date on the label.

Can the weight be included in the barcode?

Yes. A weight-embedded barcode contains the article number and the weight or the price, so the till does not have to retype it. Which structure you need depends on your till system; we set it up.