Ashok recently opened a retail store and is anticipating a good inflow of consumers. He has kept a large variety of products to provide diversity and options for the consumers. Within 2 months he noticed products with certain types of linear or QR code representation at their back got sold more quickly than the rest. Do you know why?
The food industry is consumer-oriented and what consumers want and prefer, shapes the whole cycle. With time, consumers have become extra vigilant in their purchase decisions, they want to know every piece of information before they spend even a single penny. Barcodes on products are a gateway to detailed product information. Numerous times, items do not have barcodes which jeopardize the product information, which is why some products at Ashok’s retail store were not sold quickly. Now let us understand this in detail.
Introduction
Transparency in consumer goods is necessary in every industry, particularly in the food industry as these products are consumed and can impact consumers. Barcodes fill this gap by promoting transparency and storing accessible data for consumers. Not just consumers, but every element of the supply chain can access this information through barcode scanners or their phones.
The Role of Barcodes in Food Transparency
Barcodes are machine-readable representations of product data that are in a standard and structured manner, that can be either 1D or 2D. They are the fundamental tools for product identification, traceability, and data capture across the supply chain. They are a reliable source of complete product detail and empower every element, right from the manufacturing to the end consumers.
Barcodes can be captured to access data such as manufacturing date, expiry date, product composition, nutritional benefits, price, weight, manufacturer’s name, FSSAI licence details, and more.
How Food Barcodes Barcodes on Food Products Build Consumer Trust
For businesses, barcodes are a one-way ticket to building consumer trust. How? Find below a few reasons for this.
- Accuracy and Verification – The information on the barcodes is directly uploaded by the manufacturer of the product. This eliminates any informational differences about the product details. Product information is stored in a standardised manner and can be retrieved by scanner from a centralised database, ensuring accuracy and verification.Â
- Traceability – Barcodes improve the traceability of food products throughout the supply chain. Products can be traced to find out where they have travelled to ensure the quality and safety of the food products. This helps stop adulteration of the products, as barcodes can be scanned by consumers to know their exact origin and nutritional composition.Â
- Recalls and Alerts – Barcodes enable efficient recalls and generate timely alerts. Businesses can swiftly identify the contaminated products and retrieve the affected lot from the market.Â
The Benefits of Food Barcodes Barcode of Food for Consumers
With the help of barcodes, businesses can trace the entire lifecycle of the product in the supply chain. This elevates transparency and allows businesses to efficiently manage their inventories. Not just businesses, but also consumers benefit from the application and usage of barcodes. Below listed are some of the benefits of barcode of food that consumers enjoy.
- Informed Choices – Just like Ashok’s customers, most customers prefer products with barcodes. Reasonably so, because products with barcodes can be scanned to make informed choices. Consumers can know the nutritional information of the product to make healthy food choices or avoid products that have allergens.
- Enhanced Transparency – When consumers scan the products, they can access the complete product information. This clears the confusion fog in their minds and they can buy products without hesitations. This transparency helps them make wise purchase decisions.Â
- Trust in Brands – Being transparent with consumers is one step closer to establishing healthy and lasting consumer relationships. Barcodes help business owners establish trust among their consumers by providing the required information.Â
The Future of Food Barcodes Barcodes on Food Products and Transparency
The barcode of food is a crucial element of every item and cannot be separated. Its usage will only multiply in the future as more and more companies realise its importance. Especially in the retail sector, where consumers directly impact the production of products, barcodes will shape the future of the food industry. As customers shift to information-based purchase decisions, companies will be able to build goodwill based on product information transparency.Â
The current need of all businesses is to embrace the 2D barcode format over 1D, as 2D can provide more information to consumers. The QR code-based 2D barcode can be easily scanned by anyone using their mobile, making information easily accessible to all.
Radio-frequency Identification will be the next transformational wave that will change the way businesses operate, empowering them with more efficient systems of tracking and tracing food products. RFID tags will provide more detailed information, real-time tracking & authentication, reducing the risk of counterfeiting.
Blockchain technology will be used to trace products from farm to end consumers. These advancements will dictate the future of the barcode of food making the system more transparent and safe for consumers.
Conclusion
In the food industry, transparency continues to play a crucial role in enforcing reliable, safe, and secure food consumption, making it indispensable for every company to switch to a barcode system. When it comes to consumer safety, risks can not be taken. Barcode of food helps businesses provide product information to consumers in a structured and standardized format. They make the supply chain robust and at the same time transparent ultimately strengthening customer trust. GS1 India is the only authority in India to issue barcodes, to ensure supply chain efficiency it is advised to get registered with GS1 India.
