The introduction of Natasha’s Law is an important step in protecting allergy sufferers and giving them confidence that the food they consume is safe, but it has presented some challenges for food service businesses.
Among them is Dill, a software provider that streamlines catering services in the education sector, working with schools, local authorities, universities and colleges across the UK. The new legislation means that all pre-packaged food or drink products for direct sale must have a full ingredient list with all allergens highlighted for clarity. Dill’s systems are used for food ordering, recipe management and food labelling. With the advent of Natasha’s Law, it needed a solution that its catering outlets could use to print compliant product labels on-demand.
That meant developing a centralised platform that administrators could use to create and distribute recipes with accurate ingredient information from their wholesalers and suppliers across multiple sites, allowing on-site staff to print the labels they need.
Stay connected in the kitchen
The result was Dill Print, an intuitive, highly customisable application where administrators use a centralised, cloud-based portal to create and distribute recipes to multiple sites, where information is then updated in real-time.
Dill's customers' kitchens were supplied with an integrated labelling solution featuring either the QL-820NWB network label printer or the
TD-4550DNWB professional desktop label printer, depending on the specific requirements of the site.
The kitchens also have access to the accompanying software platform, allowing staff to easily locate and print the label for any specific product being packaged.
One challenge to overcome was the poor internet connectivity at many of Dill’s customers' kitchens.
The platform was initially designed to work wirelessly and both printer models have Bluetooth and WiFi as standard, as well as USB and wired LAN capability. But, where wireless connectivity was not possible, adaptations were easily made by offering different types of connectivity, including Ethernet cables.
Another key challenge was the durability of labels, as Pre-packed for Direct Sale (PPDS) food products had to be stored in hot cabinets at temperatures of around 100 degrees Celsius.
However, Certified by Brother UK Supplies’ heat proof labels have been proven to be equal to this challenge, having been independently tested to ensure they can stand up to the temperature extremes found in commercial kitchens.
Straightforward and safe
Director Alex-Ioan Coldea said: “Through Brother's recommendations and versatility in terms of printer connectivity, we were able to implement an integration with our software which became an all-in-one solution that's suitable for any environment, whether a wired, wireless or Bluetooth connection is needed.”
After an initial trial across 13 schools in Swansea, the solution is now part of Dill’s core suite of applications and has been rolled out across the UK.
At each site, staff can view recipes and print accurate allergen and ingredient labels for all the items that they sell throughout the day, no matter the connectivity status at their location.
It’s a safe, straightforward and secure solution for staff and the customers they serve every day.
Beyond ingredient labelling
As well as helping kitchens stay on top of ingredient labelling, the Dill solution provides a host of other food-safety functionality. It can also help kitchens manage shelf lives, frozen and thawed cycles with an automated system that minimises the need for user input.
Users can also print calorie information, QR codes or shelf pricing labels for visibility.
Plus, Dill’s system integrates with Erudus, the market leading source of accurate allergy, nutritional and technical product data. This means recipes are updated in real time, ensuring every site is up to date with the latest food supplier modifications.
Find the right labelling solutions for your business with Brother label printers.
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