The Hidden Link Between Food Safety and Waste Reduction

Food manufacturers have always taken food safety seriously, with long-standing systems, audits, and controls in place to protect consumers. Despite these safeguards, recalls are often necessary to protect public health in the event of a food safety incident. Inevitably, when food recalls occur, a secondary problem arises: avoidable waste.

The majority of this waste is the result of uncertainty. Without accurate, batch-level product traceability, food safety teams are forced to take precautionary actions. Products produced in the same shift, line, or day may be withdrawn together, even when only a small subset is affected. While this caution is justified from a public health perspective, it is wholly inefficient in terms of overall product wastage.

As food waste reduction targets become increasingly embedded within regulatory and policy frameworks, this imbalance is no longer being overlooked. Modern food safety regulations, including the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) in the USA, are shifting the emphasis towards speed and granularity. Authorities want to know not only that food can be traced, but how quickly affected products can be identified and removed from the supply chain.

With shifting regulatory expectations, traditional traceability systems are no longer enough. Paper-based records demonstrate compliance after the event. Controls exist, but information is slow and labour intensive to review, and difficult to reconcile across multiple partners in complex supply chains.

Reliable traceability demands accurate and accessible product, production, and shelf-life information. While historically, only a fraction of this information was accessible once products had left the factory, the introduction of 2D codes powered by GS1 on food packaging is transforming visibility throughout the supply chain.

With connected food packaging, manufacturers can link each pack to structured, standards - based traceability data that remains accessible throughout a product’s lifecycle.

When safety concerns are raised, clearer packaging - level data enables a faster, more effective food recall process. Manufacturers can rapidly confirm the specific products affected. The number of items withdrawn is limited only to those included within the compromised batches, ensuring good food is not unnecessarily wasted. For retailers, this improved traceability reduces the time and cost associated with removing safe food from sale.

Connected packaging equipped with 2D codes can also transform the way food is managed throughout the supply chain long before safety issues arise. Food that remains too long in distribution or retail can raise safety concerns as well as increasing wastage.

Access to accurate, standardised expiration and production information can help supply chain partners to manage stock more effectively. Retailers can improve stock management, using dynamic pricing on shop floors, for example, to discount products before they expire. The same protocols can be used to ensure goods scanned at point of sale are flagged if expired or recalled, preventing the unintentional sale of unsafe food products. This strengthens food safety controls while aligning with waste prevention goals.

This shift to consider food waste alongside safety is an important change in intent. The use of 2D codes powered by GS1 is emerging as part of a broader move towards the use of interoperable, trusted data across food systems.

For manufacturers, the ability to improve recall precision has far reaching benefits. In addition to reducing unnecessary food waste without incurring additional risk, the ability to demonstrate stronger food safety compliance builds confidence with both retailers and regulators.

Crucially, this is not about replacing existing systems or embarking on wholesale transformation. It is about strengthening the link between food safety and waste reduction by improving how information is shared and acted upon.

As expectations rise, manufacturers will be judged not only on whether they respond to food safety incidents, but on the speed and efficiency of the response. Leveraging 2D codes powered by GS1 enables manufacturers to demonstrate an evidence-based food recall process. It supports waste reduction goals without any compromise to consumer protection. With better packaging-level data, shared through trusted standards, manufacturers can achieve a precise, accurate and trusted approach to food recalls that reinforces safety whilst also significantly reducing food waste.

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Notes to Editors:

About Domino

Since 1978, Domino Printing Sciences (Domino) has established a global reputation for the development and manufacture of coding, marking, and printing technologies, as well as its worldwide aftermarket products and customer services. Today, Domino offers one of the most comprehensive portfolios of complete end-to-end coding solutions designed to satisfy the compliance and productivity requirements of manufacturers across many sectors, including food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and industrial. The company’s core technologies include innovative inkjet, laser, print and apply, and thermal transfer overprinting systems designed for the application of variable data, barcodes, and unique traceability codes onto product and packaging.

Domino employs over 3,000 people worldwide and sells to more than 120 countries through a global network of 29 subsidiary offices and more than 200 distributors. Domino’s manufacturing facilities are located in China, Germany, India, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, and the USA.

Domino became an autonomous division within Brother Industries Ltd. on 11th June 2015.

For further information on Domino, please visit www.domino-printing.com

Or contact:

Jade Taylor-Salazar
PR and Content Manager
Domino Printing Sciences
Tel: +44 (0) 1954 778780
Jade.Taylor-Salazar@domino-uk.com

Mahmoud Al Sabbagh
General Manager
Domino Dubai
Tel: +97148835003
Email: sales@domino-mea.com