Case study: Brother's food labelling solution helps Subway® improve compliance
The Subway® store situated in Chineham, Basingstoke was determined to take back control of their day dot printing and the downtime which often led to employees reverting to manual handwritten labels.
Background
The store was using an old label printer to produce defrost and preparation labels for all ingredients. However, the label printer would frequently break. The high initial cost of the machine, coupled with the unsatisfactory support and high repair costs, led to staff and managers feeling frustrated.
The Challenge
- The Food Standards Agency awards a rating certification for food hygiene based on three main pillars - two of which focus on stock rotation and effective labelling of food as a sub category.
- Given that Subway® also list stock rotation by means of effective management of use by dates as one of their top compliance priorities, the use of handwritten labels often falls short of the standard.
This is due to the labels often being completed in illegible handwriting or inconsistent formats and ultimately becoming non-compliant. This can be a real issue for franchisees in terms of food safety, certification and their regular compliance checks by Subway®.
- This rating is displayed within each food outlet and is available online for the public to view. This stresses the importance of maintaining high food standards within any food related business.
- Subway® conduct monthly visits to each store, ensuring that not only the Food Standards Agency policies are adhered to but also the policies that Subway® themselves have put in place for each of their franchisees.
The Solution
The Chineham store trialled the Brother TD-2120N label printer for six weeks, replacing their existing machine.
The Brother solution was completely fit for purpose and with the addition of a label peeler and easy to follow instructions, it made the task of labelling frozen and prepared ingredients a lot quicker and more effective.
The results
Subway® Chineham, Basingstoke were absolutely thrilled with the TD-2120N. The speed and efficiency at which their staff can complete the day dotting tasks means they have more time to make and serve food to their customers, ultimately improving customer experience.
The large print roll capacity meant they were changing the label roll a lot less often and saving money on the labels themselves. The 3-year warranty gives them peace of mind and the support from Brother UK has been excellent. When you add in the upfront cost of the machine being significantly less than the printer they were using previously, this all adds up to an essential bit of kit for the business.
Quote from Vanessa Mattia
Subway® Chineham, Basingstoke Franchisee: "As a franchisee, food safety is of paramount importance to my business. A poor rating from our compliance checks, or the Food Standards Agency, can have a devastating effect on my footfall and trade."
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