News

The importance of the Food and Drink industry

The UK’s food and drink industry is the country’s biggest manufacturing sector by turnover, valued at £104.4 billion. It is larger than the automotive and aerospace industries combined. A recent study stresses that growth in the sector is key to overcoming the economic consequences of Brexit. The UK's takeaway and fast food market was valued at over £20 billion in 2023, and has seen significant growth in recent years. The exponential growth of business to consumer food delivery services is also significant.

Security Seals.. a deterrence against tampering

The use of security seals in the food and beverage industry is for the protection of food products during transportation. Whether being transported between facilities or to customers, food products must be protected from tampering, theft, and contamination. Plastic security seals are ideal for this purpose as they are tamper-evident and tamper-resistant, making it easy to detect if the food products have been tampered with.

Our range of food-contact safe plastic seals can be used on vehicles, sacks or any container that has an aperture, at all or any level. For example, our security labels and tapes can seal up smaller cardboard cartons; our StrapWrap pallet security tape and StrapSecure security seals can seal up shrink-wrapped pallets; and our freight and transport seals can secure the access doors to entire trailers/containers of food cargo.

Security Seals... reducing theft in the Supply Chain

Theft is one of the biggest risks to the global food supply chain. Food and beverage thefts increased significantly between 2021 and 2022. Almost one in five (18%) of all global cargo thefts were food items. This is likely influenced by extreme weather events and rising energy costs triggering global product shortages and spikes in prices for certain goods.

If theft is a concern, our high security cable seals and Container bolt seals offer strong and robust security measures. Our container bolt seals are C-TPAT-compliant & ISO17712:2013 Certified 'H' High Security Seals. When a bolt seal cannot be used (for example, where goods are not being transported in shipping containers or box trailers) we have a full range of cable seals which are also suitable for ISO17712 High-Security / CTPAT movements, providing customers with a range of cable lengths and diameters. High-security barrier seals like our bolt and cable seals are particularly suited to safeguard high-value items such as whiskey and other branded alcohol products.

Metal detectable Security Seals for Production Lines

If security seals are required to protect the integrity of internal processes during food production lines, our Metal Detectable Tracewaste Security Seals offer a safe, detectable solution. A specialised additive to our popular Tracewaste model provides metal and x-ray detectability, giving you all of the benefits of our customisable, multi-purpose tamper-evident security seal whilst also being fully food-contact safe and metal detectable as part of your Hazard and Critical Control Point Analysis (HACCP) safety processes within food, drink and pharmaceutical sectors.

Small fragments of metal detectable additive are dispersed evenly throughout the seal, ensuring that detection systems can detect even small parts of plastic contamination, allowing for batch recall and investigation as part of your HACCP processes. Available in up to eight colours, the detectable Tracewaste seal can be used to seal roll cages, sacks, drums and containers within food production environments. 

Food delivery seals

Another important use of security seals in the food and beverage industry is the protection of food storage containers and packaging. These containers and packages must be protected from tampering and contamination to ensure that the food products remain safe and fresh. Security seals are used to secure containers, packages, and storage units to ensure that the food and beverage products remain protected.

Our DeliverSafe food delivery security labels offer an effective solution ensuring that your food delivery & takeaway services are delivered to the consumer in pristine, unopened condition. Unlike standard adhesive labels, DeliverSafe security stickers void when opened, leaving a void message behind on the sealed delivery carton, box or bag. Food delivery labels therefore act as a deterrent against 'sampling' of the contents of food deliveries prior to arrival with the recipient, providing the customer with peace of mind of your dedication to hygiene.

Our security labels are completely customisable, including not only branding the labels with your own details, but also customisation of the sub-surface message itself, leaving a bespoke residue marking to convey a message tailored to your brand.

Contact us for advice on selecting the most appropriate seals for your food and drink business.

Which cable tie should I use?

Cable ties have a wide range of uses, and are suitable for a multitude of uses in various industries, from heavy industrial use to securing plants in the garden.  Choosing the correct strength tie is an important consideration. Below are some points for consideration when choosing the right cable tie for the job.

Measurements

Cable ties are measured in mm.  They come in a range of length and widths, ranging from miniature 100 x 2.5mm ties to very heavy duty 1530 x 12.7mm ties. The wider the tie, the higher the tensile strength of the cable tie.

Tensile strength

Nylon Cable Ties

Nylon cable ties will have a tensile strength ranging from very low (8 kgf) to much higher (114kgf). Even ties with a high tensile strength will require a low insertion force, making them fast, convenient and easy to use.

UV & heat stabilised cable ties

If you are planning on using cable ties in an outside environment with UV exposure it is recommend to use a UV & Heat stabilised cable tie.  These ties have a higher carbon content which results in a higher resistance to UV exposure. Heat stabilised cable ties are better suited to environments where higher than usual heat is to be expected such as boiler rooms or where the ties are being used to secure heat conductive cables. Please contact us for a quotation for these specialised cable ties. 

Stainless steel cable ties

Stainless steel cable ties are made from non magnetic stainless steel.  They provide a stronger tensile strength than traditional nylon cable ties and they have a wider operating temperature range of -60°C to +300°C.  They are fireproof and UV resistant.  They are great for use in harsh chemical environments or where extreme temperatures need to be considered.  If the stainless steel cable tie is for outdoor use we can also supply a coated stainless steel cable tie  - either polyester coated or epoxy coated for increased resistance to heat and chemicals. They are ideal for use in harsh environments such as offshore, marine or heavy industrial.

Metal detectable cable ties

These ties are specifically used in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical and chemical industries where contamination control is critical.  They are a unique blue colour containing specially formulated metal content so that the tie is detectable by metal detectors.   Ideally suited as part of a HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point).  Made from nylon material they offer excellent tensile strength and reliability whilst ensuring additional safety standards.  They are available in a range of sizes.

In summary, choosing the right cable tie is paramount to a successful project. If you would like further guidance on the right cable tie for your specific enquiry please feel free to contact us for further advice.