How Technology Helps Tackle the Challenges of Food Packaging and Labeling

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”  

In the food industry, that first impression often comes from your packaging and labeling, playing a vital role in marketing and sales. But even more important is how labels and packaging serve to keep food safe and healthy to eat for consumers. 

But that’s not all. You must adhere to evolving regulations, control costs and make sustainable choices—all while meeting consumer expectations. Get it wrong, and the consequences can be severe: product recalls, legal penalties and lasting damage to your brand reputation. 

Take Lipton Tea, for example. In 2015, the brand redesigned its packaging, replacing individual paper wraps with a foil sleeve for multi-pack tea bags. While visually appealing, the change sparked consumer concerns about freshness and hygiene, proving that even well-intended packaging innovations can backfire. 

So, how can you avoid such a misstep? To balance functionality, compliance, cost-efficiency and sustainability without compromising consumer trust, turn to industry-specific software solutions like product lifecycle management (PLM), enterprise resource planning (ERP) and more. In this blog, we’ll explore how these systems can simplify your packaging and labeling processes—helping you future-proof your food and beverage business. Let’s dive in. 

1. Navigating Complex Packaging and Labeling Formats 

Food packaging isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Your products come in various formats—cartons, bags, boxes, pouches, bottles and more—each with its own requirements and design constraints. Some require additional layers of protection, others need easy-to-open features, and all must meet branding and regulatory demands. Not to mention, you must ensure that your packaging remains practical, cost-effective and visually appealing. 

Beyond structural considerations, labeling adds another level of intricacy. From nutritional facts and ingredient lists to barcodes and manufacturer information, each label must be meticulously formatted for accuracy and compliance. Global standards such as GS1-128 barcodes, GTINs and serial shipping container codes (SSCCs) are very common, so it’s important to be able to accommodate them and other food labeling requirements. 

Complicating matters further, different retailers and distribution partners have unique packaging and labeling specifications. Some require customized shipping labels while others mandate specific font sizes or placement of information. These inconsistencies can lead to costly redesigns, misprints and logistical bottlenecks. Without a streamlined approach, your organization risks additional expenses, compliance headaches and customer dissatisfaction. 

2. Meeting Stringent Food Packaging and Labeling Regulations 

Regulatory compliance isn’t just about sticking a label on a package—it’s about ensuring that every aspect of your packaging meets strict legal requirements. Food labeling regulations vary across regions, with the U.S. FDA, the EU’s food regulations and the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) each enforcing specific rules. These guidelines dictate how ingredients are declared, how allergens are highlighted and even how claims like “organic” or “natural” can be presented. 

But the label itself is not the only thing that faces scrutiny. Packaging materials are also subject to regulations governing safety, recyclability and environmental impact. Some jurisdictions are cracking down on single-use plastics, requiring businesses like yours to explore alternative materials such as biodegradable films, compostable trays or lightweight glass. Others limit the amount of packaging used per unit to minimize waste, which may require you to reimagine what you’ve used in the past. 

On the subject of compliance, regulatory changes happen frequently, forcing your organization to stay agile. For example, a new mandate on front-of-package (FoP) nutrition labeling has been proposed in the EU, and a similar proposal is gaining momentum in the U.S. Similarly, country-of-origin labeling (CoOL) is becoming increasingly important for certain food categories, especially meat and dairy. Ensuring ongoing compliance with these evolving standards requires continuous monitoring, frequent label updates and a proactive approach to compliance. 

3. Keeping Up With Emerging Trends in Sustainability and More 

Sustainability is no longer just a trend—it’s an expectation. Consumers demand eco-friendly packaging solutions and governments worldwide are implementing stricter regulations to curb environmental impact. This shift presents a major challenge for your organization, as finding sustainable alternatives that balance durability, cost and compliance isn’t always straightforward. 

One of the biggest dilemmas is material selection. While biodegradable packaging sounds like an easy win, factors such as shelf life, moisture resistance and recyclability must all be considered. Glass, for example, is highly recyclable but adds significant weight and breakage risks. Plant-based plastics are an alternative, but they lack durability and often require specific disposal conditions. 

Your organization must weigh these trade-offs carefully while ensuring packaging remains functional and cost-effective. Excessive packaging is another pressing issue, as bulky designs contribute to waste, drive up material costs and frustrate environmentally conscious consumers. 

Plus, emerging trends, like smart packaging with QR codes that offer traceability insights and interactive labels that engage consumers, are gaining traction. While these innovations can enhance transparency and branding, integrating them seamlessly into existing processes introduces new challenges. 

4. Choosing the Right Packaging to Ensure Freshness and Durability 

Your customers expect your products to arrive in the right condition at the right time—and packaging has an important role to play in meeting that expectation. Ensuring freshness while optimizing packaging costs is a constant balancing act, and choosing the right materials and designs is critical to preventing spoilage, contamination and unnecessary waste. 

Different food products have unique packaging needs, making it difficult to find a one-size-fits-all solution. For instance, fresh produce must be packed in breathable materials to prevent moisture buildup and mold, while dairy and meat products need airtight, temperature-resistant packaging to extend shelf life. On the other hand, dry goods must be protected from humidity and pests while remaining easy to stack and transport. Your organization must carefully assess these requirements for each product category while managing inventory costs and packaging waste.  

Another factor to consider is durability for transportation and handling. Packaging that works well in a controlled manufacturing environment may not hold up under real-world logistics conditions. Temperature fluctuations, humidity and rough handling during shipping can compromise product integrity and must be considered in your decisions.  

How Technology Helps Overcome These Challenges 

To navigate the challenges presented by packaging and labeling, your food and beverage manufacturing business needs purpose-built food software solutions with features designed to facilitate specialized processes. Systems like PLM and ERP can not only streamline your operations but also enhance your overall efficiency and profitability by optimizing workflows, reducing errors and improving decision-making. 

1. PLM for Packaging and Label Design 

If you're looking to streamline your packaging and labeling processes, food PLM software with a dedicated packaging development module can help. This module provides essential tools for managing packaging specifications, proofing artwork, enabling real-time collaboration, verifying compliance and generating reports—all within a centralized platform.  A tailored packaging development module includes key features such as: 

• Artwork proofing tool for reviewing, annotating and comparing artworks directly within the PLM system 

• Collaborative features to share insights on packaging and labeling ideas 

• Verification functionalities for comparing labeling and packaging models or ideas 

• Reporting capabilities to generate detailed reports for final artwork documentation by analyzing edits, comments, etc. 

This means you can ensure that packaging information is accurately defined and controlled. Meanwhile, compliance modules in advanced PLM solutions automate ingredient list generation and nutrition fact panel creation. This feature uses formulation data to ensure ingredient declarations are accurate and in alignment with FDA food labeling regulations and EU food packaging and labeling compliance laws. 

These modules also include substances and claims screening to verify compliance with customer specifications and global standards, reducing the risk of mislabeling. Furthermore, it supports multilingual labeling, enabling brands to create region-specific packaging with ease. 

Keep Packaging and Labeling Accurate With PLM 

Effective food and beverage packaging requires precise coordination across your organization. A food and beverage PLM serves as a single source of truth, ensuring all stakeholders work with organized, real-time data. By centralizing packaging and labeling specifications, a PLM eliminates version confusion, reduces errors and keeps everyone aligned on regulatory requirements and brand standards. Built-in collaboration tools further enhance efficiency, allowing your teams to share insights and feedback directly within the system to streamline approvals and maintain compliance. 

What’s more, a PLM for food and beverage businesses also simplifies packaging and labeling updates driven by regulatory changes, reformulations or sustainability initiatives with change management features. These tools allow you to modify packaging details systematically, ensuring that updates—whether ingredient adjustments, allergen declarations or sustainability claims—are accurately reflected across all labels and packaging materials. 

2. ERP for Packaging Inventory Management and Labeling Functionality 

As a food and beverage manufacturer, you need to ensure that the proper packaging materials are always available to ensure that you can fulfill orders. A food ERP system can centralize packaging inventory data, allowing real-time materials tracking, forecasting demand and automating reorders. This prevents bottlenecks caused by stock shortages or excess inventory that can lead to increased storage costs. 

Food ERP software also helps you streamline the label creation process by auto-generating labels with essential product information, such as batch numbers, expiration dates and barcodes. These systems support various label formats, including GS1-128, UPCs and SSCCs, ensuring compatibility with retail and distribution networks. And with integrated printing functionalities, ERP enables you to produce accurate labels at scale, eliminating the risk of mislabeling and improving traceability throughout the supply chain. 

The Benefit of a Fully Integrated Food ERP System 

Warehouse management system (WMS) functionalities—whether that’s integrated with or already built into your food ERP software—further enhance packaging and labeling processes by facilitating barcode scanning. By integrating barcode scanners into your warehouse operations, you can automate data capture, reducing manual errors and improving traceability with real-time tracking.

A fully integrated ERP tech stack also ensures that all product packaging and labeling data is synchronized across systems. This means that critical product parameters—such as weight, dimensions, allergens and nutritional content—can be automatically applied to labels when ERP is integrated with your PLM. Having a vendor portal within your ERP also facilitates collaboration with suppliers to choose packaging materials based on your preferences, considering durability and sustainability. Such an interconnected approach streamlines communication and promotes consistency in packaging and labeling. 

3. Other Solutions With Features to Enhance Packaging and Labeling Processes 

Beyond food PLM and ERP, additional software solutions can further enhance packaging and labeling efficiency. Specialized food labeling software offers advanced capabilities for designing, managing and printing labels with dynamic data integration. These tools enable you to create compliant, visually appealing labels that adhere to ever-changing regulatory standards. With automated templates and real-time data synchronization, your business can ensure consistent labeling across product lines while reducing manual input errors. 

Advanced tracking and reporting tools, like business intelligence software, can also aid your sustainable food packaging initiatives. Some vendors even offer advanced tools with environmental impact assessment capabilities that can help you measure how sustainable your packaging materials are. This allows you to make informed decisions when selecting biodegradable or recyclable options, ensuring alignment with sustainability goals and compliance with regulatory requirements. By integrating these solutions with food ERP and PLM systems, your organization can maintain compliance with sustainability regulations while reinforcing your commitment to environmentally friendly practices. 

Smart Tech for Smart Packaging Solutions 

New technologies like interactive labels, artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain are also making their way into food packaging. These can ensure better traceability, safety and sustainability. 

Interactive labels enhance consumer engagement, offering details on sourcing, nutrition and even personalized recipes. Consumers can scan QR codes to verify food origins, certifications and sustainability efforts, fostering trust and transparency. Meanwhile, integrated nanosensors and status indicators, like color-changing labels that show product freshness, can extend shelf life and detect spoilage, improving food safety and reducing waste. 

AI-powered analytics further enhance labeling accuracy, helping to detect inconsistencies and predict errors—reducing the risk that a recall will be necessary and promoting regulatory compliance. Blockchain takes traceability a step further, creating a secure record of a product’s journey from source to shelf.  

Beyond these advancements, bioplastics and plant-based fibers can now be used to make your packaging more sustainable. Machine learning algorithms can analyze historical data to predict labeling errors and suggest corrective actions, minimizing costly recalls. 

Get Your Food and Beverage Business Future-Ready With Aptean 

The challenges of food packaging and labeling are complex—balancing format compatibility, regulatory compliance, sustainability and product integrity while keeping costs in check is no easy feat. But with the right technology-driven strategies, you can simplify these processes, minimize risks and stay ahead of evolving industry demands. 

PLM helps centralize and streamline packaging and label design, facilitating compliance and accuracy, while food ERP (and its built-in WMS functionalities) optimize inventory management and labeling. Together, these solutions reduce errors, enhance efficiency and support sustainability efforts—empowering your business to excel. 

With decades of experience in the food and beverage industry, Aptean offers purpose-built software solutions designed to meet the unique needs of food businesses like yours. Our food and beverage PLM solution offers an integrated platform to manage every stage of the product lifecycle, from concept to launch. By centralizing data and improving collaboration across teams, our food PLM ensures that your packaging and labeling are consistent, compliant and aligned with sustainability goals. With the help of the packaging development module within our PLM, you can design, edit and compare your packaging elements—helping you reduce errors and speed up approvals. 

Furthermore, our food and beverage ERP is developed to address the challenges of many food industry sectors, helping you optimize inventory management, streamline operations and ensure labeling accuracy. With our food ERP, you get real-time tracking, barcode scanning and enhanced regulatory compliance, all in one robust system. 

Finally, you should know that choosing Aptean means you get a partner for long-term growth. With cloud-based solutions designed to enhance agility and scalability—as well as AI-driven tools to enhance automation, improve data insights and help you make informed decisions, we provide software that keeps your business on the cutting edge of technology. 

Are you ready to streamline your product packaging and labeling efforts with our full suite of food industry software? Contact us today to learn more about our industry-specific software and schedule a personalized demo to see how our solutions can transform your packaging and labeling processes.