Create and print custom meal prep labels for work, school, and home
Meal prep is a great way to tackle lunches for work or school, and/or get a head start on dinners at home. In fact, it has several benefits. Not the least of which are saving time, saving money, and helping maintain a healthy diet. Fortunately, Avery tools make it easy to create custom meal prep labels as part of your routine.
Firstly, Avery Design and Print Online (ADPO) is our free software for creating your own labels. Secondly, we offer tons of free printable designs for meal prep labels and much more. You can customize our designs for free using ADPO. Finally, we put over 80 years of experience into developing label materials that work better for specific uses such as meal prep labeling.
Inside this article, you’ll find the basics you need to get started creating your own custom meal prep labels. We’ve also included quick links to 10 free printable templates so you can get started customizing right now.
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Best label material for meal prep labeling
In general, dissolvable labels are the best material for creating custom meal prep labels for three reasons. First and most importantly, they’re dissolvable. This means they simply dissolve when washed by hand or dishwasher and don’t leave any residue behind.
Secondly, our dissolvable meal prep labels are freezer and microwave-safe. They’re perfect for regular freezer meals or lunches that will need to be heated up. Thirdly, they use an adhesive that is FDA-compliant for indirect food contact per FDA 21 CFR 175.105.
Removable & freezer-friendly materials
Of course, there’s always room for personal preference and specific uses. Especially when it comes to custom meal prep labels that will get a lot of wear and tear. For example, lunch containers that might get wet from condensation. Or, storing food in the freezer for long periods of time.
If condensation is an issue for you, removable meal prep labels may be the way to go. Our durable removable labels are made from water-resistant polyester film to start with (not paper). When you print them with compatible printers the ink is also water resistant so there’s no smudging or smearing! On top of that, the special adhesive stays securely on metal, glass, and plastic, but peels right off when needed. No residue, no damage, and of course, FDA-compliant for indirect food contact.
On the other hand, for printable freezer meal labels you may want to consider something even tougher. It may seem odd, but our industrial-grade UltraDuty® labels actually make great meal prep labels for long-term freezer storage. Firstly, they’re fully waterproof and FDA-compliant for indirect food contact. Most importantly, they’re engineered to last during extreme marine voyages including freezing temperatures.
What you need to design & print meal labels
Aside from the labels of your choice, you only need a few basic supplies to get started creating your own custom meal prep labels. In fact, the first thing you’ll need is free and the rest you probably already have on hand.
First, you’ll need to sign up for a free Avery account to use Avery Design and Print Online (ADPO) (which is also free). When you’re logged into your Avery account you can create, save, edit, and reprint projects. You can even share saved designs via email, save them to your computer, or apply them to other Avery products.
Next, you’ll need a computer, laptop, or smart device with an internet connection. Primarily because there is no software to download or install. So you’ll need an internet connection to design online. However, your saved Avery projects are also stored in the cloud where you can access them online from any smart device.
Of course, if you’re going to print your designs yourself you’ll also need a laser or inkjet printer and compatible printable products. Or, if you don’t have access to a printer, we can print custom meal prep labels for you with our WePrint service.
Office-appropriate labels for meal prep
Try these meal prep label templates for a professional, contemporary look. Simply click “customize” for the template you like, edit the text, and you’re good to go!
Print for yourself on 2-inch round dissolvable (4227), removable, or waterproof labels.
Or, order custom-printed round labels.
Print for yourself on 1-1/4″ x 2-3/8″ dissolvable (4224), removable, or waterproof labels.
Or, order custom-printed rectangle labels.
Print for yourself on 1-1/2″x 2-1/2″oval dissolvable (4223), removable, or waterproof labels.
Or, order custom-printed oval labels.
Print for yourself on 1-1/4″ x 2-3/8″ dissolvable (4224), removable, or waterproof labels.
Or, order custom-printed rectangle labels.
Meal prep labels for kids’ lunches
Create cute personalized meal prep labels for your kids’ school lunches in just a few minutes. Once you click “customize” to open the template of your choice you can just edit the text to add your child’s name. Or, you can add and edit graphics, colors, images, and more to suit their personality.
Print for yourself on 2-inch round dissolvable (4227), removable, or waterproof labels.
Or, order custom-printed round labels.
Print for yourself on 1-1/4″ x 2-3/8″ dissolvable (4224), removable, or waterproof labels.
Or, order custom-printed rectangle labels.
Print for yourself on 1-1/2″x 2-1/2″oval dissolvable (4223), removable, or waterproof labels.
Or, order custom-printed oval labels.
Custom meal prep labels for home
Food container labels don’t have to be boring! Using our free tools, you can quickly and easily customize meal prep labels for storing meals and dishes in your fridge. All you have to do is open a template and edit the text leaving space to write in the use-by date. Print a few sheets and keep them on hand in the kitchen to use during weekly meal prep.
Print for yourself on 2-inch round dissolvable (4227), removable, or waterproof labels.
Or, order custom-printed round labels.
Print for yourself on 1-1/4″ x 2-3/8″ dissolvable (4224), removable, or waterproof labels.
Or, order custom-printed rectangle labels.
Print for yourself on 1-1/2″x 2-1/2″oval dissolvable (4223), removable, or waterproof labels.
Or, order custom-printed oval labels.
Make your own meal prep labels with free printable Avery designs
To sum up, creating custom meal prep labels as part of your meal prep routine is easy with the right tools. To begin with, our favorite printable label material to use for meal prep is dissolvable paper. However, based on your needs durable removable labels and UltraDuty waterproof labels are also great choices. Especially if your food containers may get wet or need to be stored in the freezer for extended periods.
Then you’ll need an internet connection, a free Avery account, and a smart device to get started designing your custom meal prep labels. When you’re logged in to your Avery account you have access to free tools for storing, sharing, and reprinting saved projects. Not to mention all of the free design/editing tools in Avery Design and Print Online and free predesigned templates you can customize.
Finally, browse the meal prep label templates in this article to find one you like best and start customizing right away. Once you click Save in ADPO, you’ll be prompted to login or create an Avery account if you don’t already have one.
Still have questions about creating custom meal prep labels or using Avery templates? Let us know in the comments, check out the Avery Help center, or get in touch with our fantastic Customer Care team.
