WHAT ARE: Produce labels

Produce labels are tags attached to fruits, vegetables, and fresh herbs to provide important information about the product. These labels play a key role in the food supply chain by ensuring traceability, safety, and accurate information for consumers and retailers.

Produce labels are used on a variety of items including:

• Fruits: Citrus (oranges), berries (strawberries), stone fruits (peaches)
• Vegetables: Leafy greens (lettuce), marrow (cucumbers), root vegetables (potatoes)
• Fresh herbs: Basil, thyme, dill

Purpose of Produce Labels

Produce labels provide essential product information for purchasers and supply chain management:

• Net weight of the product
• Origin of the produce
• Serial or batch numbers for tracking
• UPC/price barcode for checkout scanning

This information helps monitor the product from production and shipping through to point-of-sale, supporting quality control and traceability.

Benefits of Using Produce Labels

• Small character printing: Can include detailed information in compact spaces.
• High resistance to handling: Labels stay intact despite frequent movement and handling.
• Temperature resistance: Can endure both high and low temperatures without damage.
• Durability: Labels resist smudging and scratching, maintaining legibility.

Labeling Technology: Thermal Transfer Printing

Thermal transfer printing is commonly used for produce labels because it produces durable and legible prints.

Key features:

• Uses wax/resin or resin ribbons for printing
• Labels remain readable despite:
  • Rough handling
  • Temperature fluctuations
  • Scratching or smudging

This technology ensures that labels are long-lasting, making them ideal for the dynamic environment of the produce supply chain.

In short, produce labels are essential for communication, traceability, and product protection in the fruit and vegetable industry, with thermal transfer printing being a reliable solution for durability and clarity.

For this application, we recommend the APR 400