Labelling and packaging errors are the primary reason for products being recalled which is costly in both the loss of sales, fines, and damage to brand reputation. Label and artwork errors also account for 28% of product launches being delayed, resulting in product to shelf deadlines being missed and revenues lost.
The Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) is looming for drinks brands and businesses selling in Scotland. In August 2023, this long-anticipated regulatory change will come into force, giving consumers a right and a route to return single-use containers for deposit return.
The 80g pack sizes of Happi Free From Oat Milk bars contained milk, which it had not mentioned on the ingredients label. Three separate flavours, Plain Milk, Salted Caramel and Plain White, were included in the recall, with the FSA explaining that the products were a health risk to anyone with an allergy or intolerance to milk.
If something gets overlooked, filed incorrectly, includes misinformation, or isn’t easily adapted; fixing those mistakes can cost time. Add project complexity, increased number of SKUs never mind versioning and a recipe for disaster is in development, not your NPD!
Companies, especially food and beverage businesses, have prized ‘Faster’ and ‘Better’ as a means for dominating the industry in these ways:
The technology gap is a significant obstacle for food and beverage companies that cannot afford to lose revenue. Manual processes and dispersed data are challenging to track and manage, there is a direct correlation between this and profitability.
According to Statista Global Spending for IT and software solutions was projected to be “USD $4.5 Trillion” (Feb 2022), however, the truth seems to be much higher. Scalable investments are being prioritised in an attempt to optimise operational processes, increase flexibility and enhance innovation.
The Gartner Market Guide is a tool which allows business leaders to align their future plans to an emerging market.
In September (2022) the 4Pack solution was listed in Gartner’s Product and Packaging Specification Management (PPSM) Market Guide.
Product information transparency is vital for any successful business and the wine industry is no exception. New rules published by the European Union introduce a compulsory nutrition declaration and ingredients list for wine products sold within the EU market.
It’s no secret that technology can boost the productivity and profitability of food and beverage businesses, no matter their size, and that investing in the right technology can significantly reduce costs and help with staff retention.
As a team developing a food and beverage product (either an adapted/established product or something from scratch) you’re going to run into several hurdles getting it to market.
The Scottish Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) is set to go live for consumers on 16th August 2023, with registrations starting from 1st January 2023.
Specification management solutions facilitate the efficient use of data to make better business decisions, mitigate the risk of error through validation check points and provide powerful linking of specification types related to a project.
Back in April 2020, at the very beginning of what was to become an unprecedented pandemic, we predicted that the 2020’s could disrupt the way food and non-food products are marketed, and that this would allow consumers to select products based on their environmental impact.
Label and artwork management is the ‘catch all’ term referring to the collation, briefing, coordination, approval and signing off product packaging artwork for both physical and digital assets.
The question is – who is the consumer? The pet or the pet parent!
Pet food labels have many similarities to food labels and the rules to follow are precise.
On 25 June 2021, the EU and its Member States reached agreement on the new reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The central theme is sustainability in all its nuances in the economic, environmental and social spheres.
Nowadays, visual impact is becoming increasingly important. Our lives are hectic and there is an endless choice of beverage products. We are attracted by what stands out, by products that are different from others.
The complexity of the beer market requires centralised and efficient management: organised dynamic data and content, better collaboration between departments and optimised graphic designs that leave room for creativity and innovation.
4Pack exists to unify teams in order to make product launch processes more efficient, compliant and accurate for food and beverage manufacturers and brands who are required to meet on-pack (and e-label) technical and marketing specifications.
In recent years, we have witnessed the increase in health-conscious and ethically minded consumers as we become more aware of the obesity crisis and the impact that food production and consumption has on our environment.
Dynamic artwork provides the opportunity to work in an agile way with robust change control and validation
Gartner, a company that deals with strategic consulting, research and analysis in the field of information technology, has included 4Pack in two Market Guides.
There is a growing recognition that CPG, food and beverage business need to invest in solutions to adopt a more digitised way of working to mitigate the effects that manual processes cause for many organisations.
Product specification management systems offer a flexible, automated and more efficient option than complex spreadsheets for food, beverage and consumer goods professionals.
4Pack are delighted to announce the appointment of Jeremy Whinnett as the new Head of Professional Services
A new year brings new opportunity for the industry, this is what you should be looking out for in 2021
#Sustainability, and how environmental impact is poised to disrupt CPG packaging & labelling in the future
Brexit means food labelling regulations in the UK and across Europe are going to change very soon
Introducing a complementary approach to defining your IT landscape in CPG Consumer Packaged Goods.
Centralised, digital packaging specification and materials management is the way forward for Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) businesses.
Artwork Management Software, Cloud-based, has proven ROI for CPG businesses
Digital Specification Management software platforms help businesses take control and manage specifications more effectively.
Specification Management software can manage everything from product, packaging through to ingredient or raw material specifications in one easy-to-use system
If you were asked what products have seen increased sales in lockdown, what would you say?
4Pack expansion projects are consolidated with an international figure.
In this article we give our 5 thoughts for shaping up your NPD process.
September 2020 will see the briefs rolling in for the Christmas 2021 ranges!
From no sugar sparkling waters with natural fruit flavours to bubbly cold teas with added vitamins, there is a lot of guilt-free innovation to enjoy.
When an Olympic athlete delivers flawless repeatable performance, no one questions the amount of preparation that will have preceded it.
"Translation is that which transforms everything so that nothing changes." Günter Grass
Plant-based and meat-free is a really exciting category, in this summary article we take a look at what’s behind the rise in popularity
Dynamic Artwork is the game-changing technology which increases speed to market, reduces risk of human error and provides marked savings in graphic services expenditure.
We look how any food & beverage business – no matter how large or how small – can move closer to achieving that all important “Right First Time” target for artwork approvals.
No matter what size and structure your business, it is easier than you think to significantly reduce the amount of time the artwork approval process takes
Digital workflows are the bedrock of any smart working initiative
Build best practice to realise efficiencies and improve your transparency and build consumer trust
Consumers are looking to understand the broader impact of products on their overall health
A small mistake is all it takes for your product to be withdrawn or be recalled from the market, with serious consequences.
In recent years, with the increased time people are spending on social platforms, food brands that engage and promote consumer involvement on the web can find themselves more commercially successful
Discover the 5 fundamental steps to kick starting your digital transformation journey
Across the globe, food consumption accounts for a quarter of the planet’s greenhouse gas emissions; so, our food purchase decisions are indeed impactful. In this article we discuss the opportunity to leverage packaging to communicate and engage with the sustainability-aware consumer.
If so, it's time to step up onto the podium and grab your baton. Have you ever likened your job to that of a musical conductor?
In difficult times it’s more important than ever to stay on top of the admin work that keeps your business going. That’s why this is the perfect time to address your digital infrastructure.
Packaging Artwork and Labelling needs continuous adjustment to meet constantly changing market regulations.
“People involved in the countdown always say that the last twenty minutes are the worst. At that point all that is needed has been done, and therefore everyone has twenty minutes to think about what may not have been done, or otherwise what could go wrong. "
EU Regulation 775/2018: After 1 April 2020, Food manufactures must label origin of the primary ingredient
At this very moment in time working in a connected and collaborative way have never been more important for Food & Beverage business.
Product Information Management (PIM) is a method for keeping all the important information about your products up to date across multiple channels, ensuring compliance with regulations and fidelity of data.
4Pack UK at the Food & Drink Expo 2020, we’ll see you there!
It’s been two weeks since the UK left the European Union. Food labelling regulation will change on 1 January 2021, how prepared are you?
Adherence to food labelling regulations is more important than ever before. Businesses can be penalised, and customers can be at risk, there is no room for error!
Tim Nash heads up the product recall team at Marsh, an insurance broker that helps Food & Beverage manufacturers find the right coverage for their operations. We spoke to him about the true cost of a recall, and what manufacturers can do to limit the level of risk they’re exposing their business to
The Food and Beverage industry is nothing without the expertise of its employees. So why do we insist they spend half their time on admin. This blog post takes a look at what’s broken in the product launch process
In many Food & Beverage organisations, the product development and update process puts an immense strain on internal and external resources. This blog post looks at six elements that businesses can put in place to engineer smoother and more efficient workflows
Helen Poole, 4Pack’s MD in the UK, speaks to a compliance professional about business risk, time spent on admin, and the biggest process challenges for the compliance department – and what businesses can do to fix them.
Why the Food and Beverage industry needs to apply the principles of lean manufacturing to their innovation processes
The Food and Beverage industry is under enormous pressure to innovate. Helen Poole, 4Pack’s UK Managing Director argues: the iterative, and sometimes frantic nature of the go-to-market process is part of the job. Processes that don’t support employees to deliver their best contribution shouldn’t be.
