Every packaged product that leaves an Australian factory carries a short line of printed characters. Customers barely notice it, yet for the business that made the product, that line is a legal requirement, a record of where the item came from and, if something goes wrong, the difference between a contained recall and an expensive one.
Whether you run a small food manufacturing operation, a contract packer or a growing supplier of household goods, getting coding right is part of running a credible registered business. Here is what you need to know.
What the rules require
For packaged food, the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code is the starting point. Standard 1.2.5 deals with date marking. Most packaged foods must show either a best-before date or a use-by date. A best-before date relates to quality, so food may still be sold after that date as long as it remains fit to eat. A use-by date relates to safety, and food cannot legally be sold once it has passed. Foods with a shelf life of two years or more generally do not need a date mark, and bread with a very short shelf life may carry a baked-on or baked-for date instead.
Standard 1.2.2 deals with food identification, including lot identification. In practice, this means the batch a product came from must be identifiable, which is usually done with a code printed on the pack. The Code also requires businesses that manufacture, wholesale or import food to maintain a written recall system.
If your products are not food, such as cleaning or personal care lines, different regulations apply. Even so, the retailers, distributors and wholesalers you sell to will usually set their own traceability expectations in supply agreements. Treat those documents as part of your compliance obligations, not an afterthought.
Why a good code saves money
Consider a business making packaged snacks on two lines across several shifts. A supplier then advises that one delivery of an ingredient may be contaminated. If every pack shows a batch code tied to a production date, line and shift, the business can identify exactly which batches used that delivery. The recall notice lists those codes, and only that stock is removed.
If the codes are missing, inconsistent or unreadable, the business has no way of proving which product is safe. The usual result is a much broader withdrawal, more stock written off, higher freight and disposal costs, and a strained relationship with customers who had to clear their shelves.
Traceability depends on two parts working together: production records that link raw materials to finished batches, and a printed code that is correct and legible on every unit.
Matching the coding method to your packaging
No single printing method suits every product. Pack material, shape, line speed and the amount of information you need to print all affect the decision.
- Continuous inkjet sprays fast-drying ink onto the product without contact. It copes well with curved and moving surfaces such as bottles, cans, caps and cartons, and keeps up with high line speeds. Many Australian manufacturers rely on industrial inkjet coders of this type to apply date and batch information as products travel along the conveyor.
- Thermal inkjet uses cartridges to produce crisp text and barcodes, mostly on porous surfaces such as cardboard, and needs little routine maintenance.
- Thermal transfer overprinting uses a ribbon to print onto flexible films and labels, which makes it common for pouches and bags.
- Printed labels can suit low volumes, but they add a handling step and create a risk of the wrong label being applied.
It is common for a business to end up using two or more of these methods across its range. Base the choice on the packs you run today and expect to run tomorrow.
Questions to ask before you invest
Coding equipment is often overlooked until it stops a line. When buying or upgrading, consider:
- Reliability. How often does the printer need cleaning or servicing, and how long does it take? A premium continuous inkjet model such as the Hitachi IJC-RX is designed for long production runs, which suits businesses operating more than one shift.
- Ink compatibility. Glass, plastics, metal and coated board all behave differently. Pigmented inks give better contrast on dark packaging, while some environments call for inks that resist moisture or rubbing.
- Quality checks. Build in regular checks during each shift to confirm codes are complete and readable. Faster lines may justify automated vision inspection.
- Local support. Fast access to parts and technicians in Australia keeps downtime short.
- Error control. Codes generated automatically from the printer clock and a locked template reduce the risk of typing mistakes at changeover.
Planning for 2D barcodes
The retail sector is moving towards 2D barcodes, including GS1 standard QR codes, which can hold the product number together with batch and expiry details. GS1's Sunrise 2027 initiative aims for retail checkout systems to read 2D barcodes by the end of 2027. Even if your customers have not asked for them yet, it is sensible to confirm that new equipment can print them.
A quick self-check
- Is the correct date mark applied to each product?
- Does every unit carry a batch code linked to production records?
- Could you trace a batch from ingredients to dispatched pallets within hours?
- Is the code readable on every pack type, including dark or curved surfaces?
- Have you run a mock recall in the last twelve months?
Accurate coding will not stop every problem, but it means that when an issue arises, your business can respond quickly, precisely and with far less cost.