Freezer labels are commonly used on food that has been precooked and then frozen for use or sale at a later stage.
In most cases these labels are really food labels so whenever you sell food, you must make sure your food labels are legal. This includes a list of ingredients, an appropriate date – ideally, the date the food was cooked and the use-by date. Other useful information includes directions for use and storage of food, nutritional information, the name and address of the supplier and the country of origin of your frozen food. Basically, when labelling your food, you must abide by the Food Standards Code.
Of course, not all of these labels are for frozen food. Freezer labels can also be used in industrial applications where they are exposed to the outdoor elements, such as sub-zero environmental conditions. These labels are also used in laboratories for liquids stored in tubes.
Food products such as yoghurt benefit from a freezer label as the adhesive can handle the low temperatures and condensation of refrigerated storage.
Getting The Right Adhesive For Your Freezer Labels
When applying the label to your food or other product, it is important to know in advance if there is a possibility that the label will be exposed to extremely cold temperatures as in a freezer. It is better to be safe than sorry. Without the appropriate adhesive on the label, the label will almost certainly fall off the product.
Provided the label is applied at room temperature (and this is usually the case), an all temperature adhesive label will suit you fine. Apply the label to a clean, dry flat surface and ensure that you remove all air bubbles and minimise contact (with your fingers) with the adhesive side.
If, however, the application is to take place on already frozen products inside the freezer, or on products which will immediately be put inside the freezer, you will need a true freezer grade adhesive that withstands temperatures from – 40 degrees Celsius to +60 degrees Celsius. We use and recommend a bleached kraft paper. It is a permanent acrylic based adhesive. The labels can then be applied directly onto the (flat) frozen surface as the adhesive reacts to the cold.
We can also provide labels with a blank white area for you to hand write on a batch number with your use-by or expiry date. We recommend that you use a permanent marker that is specifically designed for use in a freezer.