Scanning labels with the camera

Also known as: label scanning, packaging photos, automatic batch reading, label OCR.

Typing in batch codes is time-consuming and prone to errors. A code such as LE SA0053055A, if copied incorrectly, becomes useless just when you need it most: during a product recall. With label scanning, you take a photo of the packaging and brasio reads the batch code and date for you.

This is an optional feature and is enabled on a venue-by-venue basis. It requires kitchen traceability to be enabled first.

Enabling it

1. Open Administration → Settings.
2. Check that Kitchen Traceability is enabled.
3. Enable Enable AI label scanning.

Label scanning will appear in the admin menu. If you can’t see it, one of the two settings is missing.

Scanning a package

1. Open Administration → Label scanning.
2. Tap Photograph the label. On a tablet or mobile, the camera will open; on the terminal, you can upload a photo.
3. You’ll see Reading the label… for a few seconds whilst the image is being processed.
4. A card will appear showing what has been read: batch code and use-by or best-before date.
5. Select the corresponding ingredient (search by name, or tap Create "…" if it doesn’t exist yet).
6. Enter the quantity received — this information isn’t on the label, so you’ll always need to enter it yourself.
7. Tap Save goods-in.

You can photograph several packs in a row before saving: each photo adds an entry to the list and they are all saved together.

Always check what has been read

The batch code must be transcribed exactly as it is printed, without removing or adding any prefixes: if the container says LE SA0053055A, that is what you enter. This is what an inspector will use to check against the physical container.

Even so, check the details before saving. A crumpled label, one with a glossy finish, or one printed in faint ink may be difficult to read. When brasio is unsure, it will alert you with Check the details — the photo was hard to read — correct the field by tapping it.

If the label cannot be read at all, you’ll see The label couldn't be read. Type the details in. and you’ll be able to fill in the fields manually without losing the photo. To discard a photo, tap Discard photo.

What happens to the batch

When saved, each record becomes a standard ingredient batch, identical to one created manually in Traceability: it is included in FEFO consumption, appears in expiry alerts and can be traced in the event of a recall.

The difference is that the batch retains the attached photo of the label. In the event of an inspection or a supplier recall, you don’t have to rely on someone having copied the code correctly: you have the image of the original packaging.

The photo and how long it’s kept

The image is stored alongside the batch as documentary evidence. It is retained for 1,460 days (4 years) by default, in line with the retention periods for traceability records, and is then automatically deleted during a nightly purge. The scan record remains even if the image is deleted.

Photos of packaging labels do not contain personal data, but like any other data from your business, they are stored separately from those of other brasio customers.

Scanning during production

There’s no need to scan everything when you receive the goods. When you’re preparing a recipe, you can photograph the packaging as you open it, which is when you have it in your hand. We explain this in Production Batches.

If something isn’t working

• I can’t see ‘Label scanning’ in the menu — you need to enable kitchen traceability, label scanning, or both. Both settings are under Administration → Settings.
• The photo isn’t being read — try using more light and ensuring the label is flat and in focus. Labels on curved surfaces or with shiny plastic are the most difficult. You can always enter the details manually.
• It has read the date incorrectly — correct it before saving. brasio distinguishes between use by and best before: they have different legal implications, so check which one is stated on the packaging.