TRACING WITH QR CODES TO PREVENT FOOD FRAUD.

The recalls concerning a lot of food items and pet products have sensitized the public about food sources,handling and codes.

The recalls are usually done per batches or dates of manufacture depending on where the error occurred, this has led to various means of tracing and tracking products that are fast,cheap and easy to use.   A company recently came up with an innovation using QR CODE

 A traceability system developed in New Zealand uses Quick Response (QR) codes so consumers with smartphones can have an easily accessible history of the source and status of an item, whether it happens to be a dairy product, a car, or any other merchandise.

 ID locate is a relatively new product developed by a company based in Auckland, NZ. Companies implementing the system pay a one-time setup charge and then a monthly maintenance fee, while consumers interested in their brands can use it for free.

 Woman scanning food with phone at storeSimon Bell, who handles technical and operational issues for the company, explained that the generated information can alert consumers to a food fraud problem, a related recall, or other issues involving a particular product.

 “It’s all database-driven so when they scan the QR code, it generates a particular URL so whatever information we have around that particular product is unique. It could be anything.

When a consumer scans it, it instantly tells them whether there’s a recall on that product,” “We’ve got a really good understanding of unique coding and imaging and a really good understanding of the application process.

 It’s incredibly secure and incredibly mobile; we can roll and do it in 15 minutes. We haven’t found anybody else who can do what we can do,” he said.

 There is almost no limit to the information which can be tracked on a food item. Besides the origin and recall history, it could be data from an outbreak investigation, video footage, or other content specific to that individual product,

 Bell noted. Lots of research is being done these days involving genetically engineered foods and various product investigations, but nothing has systematically been done linking that research with the consumer, he said.

 Read more here;http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2015/11/food-traceability-tool-developed-in-new-zealand-uses-qr-codes/#.VlRqzHarSM8