Total Produce-supplier Cool Port Packing Rotterdam has invested in laser labeling technology, aiming to use the marking system with melons, ginger, avocados, mangos and apples sold across Europe. 

The company, part of logistics giant Kloosterboer, will use technology developed by Spain-based Laser Food amid hopes it will address consumer concerns over wasteful packaging and enable the firm and its clients to make substantial savings.

"We heard about the Laser Food technology about a year ago and were very interested," Cool Port technical specialist José Antonio Maya said.

"Being environmentally-friendly is very much a current topic, as is reducing pollution and removing labels from products, so we proposed to our principal clients that instead of carrying labels, the products could lase labeled using this kind of machine.

"We got into contact with Laser Food and spoke about what kinds of products could be laser labeled and in what ways. We passed all of this information to our clients and they loved the idea. From there, we carried out the first tests and then bought the full Laser Mark system.”

Maya said Cool Port Packing Rotterdam, which shares a 40,000-pallet capacity packing and storage facility with Kloosterboer, will be using the Laser Mark system to add brand logos to the fruit, as well as in some cases traceability and GlobalG.A.P. codes.

"The main objective for us and our clients is to have a 100% top class product with the lowest packaging and manpower costs as possible,” he said.

Cool Port Packing Rotterdam provides a full packing service for clients, from receipt of imported products at port through to storage, food safety checks and final packing for delivery.  

Laser labeling offers a safe, indelible means of adding a brand name or product origin to fruit skin without damaging the contents in any way whatsoever, explained Laser Food founder and managing director Jaime Sanfelix.

“The introduction of laser labeling means wasteful, costly paper labels and increasingly needless plastic packaging can be effectively eliminated, enabling retailers and producers to make substantial material savings to say nothing of the resulting environmental benefits,” he said.

The Laser Mark system uses EU-approved iron oxides and hydroxides to mark fruit surfaces using depigmentation, crucially without harming the product in any way.

As well as being able to add brand names directly onto fruit, the technology enables retailers to offer greater product traceability through QR matrix codes, while also being able to deliver considerable cost savings by eliminating wasteful paper labels.

Laser Food’s technology is now available worldwide thanks to a global distribution and marketing deal with JBT Corporation - a food and beverage industry solutions specialist that is giving Laser Food access to new markets and an unprecedented global reach.

Under the agreement, JBT, which has a presence in 25 countries, builds and markets Laser Food’s laser labeling system at a global level, making it available – and more financially accessible – to fruit producers worldwide.

Companies currently using Laser Food laser labeling at a European level include Swedish grocery retailer ICA, Dutch organic fresh produce specialist Nature & More and U.K. retailer Marks & Spencer.

www.freshfruitportal.com