Labelling & Date-Coding

At Magnavale, we offer a comprehensive portfolio of value-added services designed to reduce cost, complexity, and risk across our partners’ food supply chains. Two of our most frequently used services are date coding and food labelling, delivered specifically for the food manufacturing and retail sectors.

Date coding is a critical stage in food production and distribution. Clear, accurate date information is essential for consumer safety and regulatory compliance. Where a date code is missing or illegible, food products may be rendered unsaleable, resulting in avoidable waste, delays, and cost for manufacturers and retailers.

While many food businesses operate in-house date-coding and labelling lines, these require trained staff, dedicated floor space, and ongoing maintenance. To address these challenges, Magnavale provides professional date-coding and labelling services alongside our core temperature-controlled food warehousing operations.

Date Code Printing and Food Labelling Services

Outsourcing date-coding and labelling provides greater flexibility within the food supply chain. Products stored in frozen conditions have their shelf life effectively paused, meaning date codes do not need to be applied until stock is ready for despatch.

This enables manufacturers and retailers to release product from cold storage in line with real-time demand, rather than being constrained by pre-printed dates set earlier in the production cycle. The approach is particularly beneficial for seasonal food products, where distribution timing may be influenced by demand volatility, forecasting changes, or external factors such as weather.

Frequently Asked Questions – Date Coding and Food Labelling

Can date coding be conducted after frozen storage?

Yes. When food products are stored in frozen conditions, shelf life is effectively paused. Date codes can therefore be applied at the point of despatch, allowing greater flexibility in release timing and stock management.

What are the benefits of outsourcing date coding and labelling?

Outsourcing removes the need for in-house equipment, trained operators, and dedicated production space. It can reduce capital expenditure, improve operational efficiency, and allow food businesses to scale or adapt more easily to changing demand.

Does Magnavale offer relabelling services?

Yes. Magnavale provides fast, scalable relabelling services for food products, allowing customers to update regulatory, promotional, customer-specific, or damaged labels on food packaging efficiently. By integrating relabelling with our temperature-controlled storage operations, we help businesses maintain compliance and respond quickly to changing commercial or market requirements, without adding unnecessary complexity to their supply chain.

What other services does Magnavale offer?

In addition to date coding and labelling, Magnavale offers temperature-controlled storage, blast freezing, up-tempering, product packing, food packaging and sleeving and other value-added services designed to support food supply chain efficiency.