How Dissolvable Labels Are Helping QSRs Improve Safety

Food safety is always a top priority for quick service restaurants (QSRs), but the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a renewed focus on how to keep restaurants and their food, staff, and customers safer.

Many QSRs have taken the opportunity to review and reinvent many of their workflows and processes, not just to minimize COVID-19 risks but also to future-proof their operations and address other serious safety risks throughout their operations.

At ReSource POS, we’ve been working with many QSRs to implement these changes and improvements. They include deploying mobile technologies to enable and optimize curbside pickups and upgrade to contactless barcode, loyalty card, and ID scanning at restaurant checkouts. We’re also helping QSRs improve safety and food prep efficiency with an entirely new approach to food labeling.

In many QSRs, food is stored in containers that are labeled to identify ingredients, and labels are frequently used on food prep surfaces. These labels often leave behind adhesive residue that becomes a dangerous environment where bacteria can thrive. Fortunately, our technology partners at Zebra have developed an ideal solution to the problem of adhesive residue in restaurant and food prep environments.

Zebra’s new 8000D dissolvable food labels are made with specialty paper and adhesives that leave nothing behind on containers or surfaces. They dissolve easily in water when they’re no longer needed, and they wash cleanly down drains without leaving a trace; so there are no drain clogs. You can check out a video of the label dissolving process here:

Zebra’s breakthrough dissolvable food labels are fully compliant with all health department standards, and they’re also a great solution for labeling food with use-by dates. For example, Taco Bell restaurants have been using Zebra dissolvable food labels as part of a new, automated process for calculating and applying use-by dates, quantities, and product names to food items and ingredients.

By pairing a Zebra printer with a simple mobile app, restaurant staff can quickly choose from a pre-sorted list of products or ingredients and then use a one-tap process to print a corresponding food label. Staff no longer have to go through the tedious and time-consuming process of hand-writing labels that are sometimes difficult to read. Instead, the whole process is automated and takes just seconds, and food labels are printed clearly and are easy to read.

During the initial deployment and rollout of this new process at several Taco Bell restaurants, operators found that it saved hours of labor per week and led to better food quality and safety at significant cost savings. This dual benefit of both safety and efficiency has made it a no-brainer for other operators who are now getting on board and deploying the same solution at their locations.

As QSRs look for ways to keep improving food and operational safety, we highly recommend Zebra’s 8000D dissolvable food labels. From eliminating potentially dangerous label residue to helping automate food prep labeling and processes, they’re proving to be a major breakthrough for many QSRs. They’re not just helping ensure food safety but they can also save hours of labor at a critical time.

To learn more about Zebra’s dissolvable food labels and Zebra’s other breakthrough technologies, download our Zebra QSR solutions ebook. We’ll be happy to answer any questions, arrange a demo, and help you explore the possibilities for your restaurants.