New Meat Labeling Uses QR Codes to Relay Sourcing Information

Do you care where your beef was raised? Do you want to know what farm it came from, what family handled it? A fair amount of you do, and for those curious consumers with a QR-reader application on your cell phone, it’s becoming more of a reality! Heinen’s Fine Foods, a regional retailer with 17 locations throughout northeast Ohio have launched what they call a WhereFoodComesFrom program.

The idea is simple, the Heinen’s brand will incorporate a quick response (QR) bar code on all of its own beef and pork products that will allow consumers using a smart phone to scan the product and quickly access detailed information about the product’s origins.

If a rancher, farmer, or food supplier cares to use the WhereFoodComesFrom verification seal of approval, the source of the product must be verified through a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Process Verified Program (PVP) or Quality Systems Assessment (QS) auditing system.

WhereFoodComesFrom(R) and IMI Global rely on a proven system of third party verification to ensure that a food supplier’s claims are accurate. In addition to its core source and age verification services, IMI Global offers verification programs for humane handling, grass fed, natural, sustainable ranching practices and other food marketing claims. The Company has more than 6,000 customers nationwide, including ranchers, feed yards and packer-processors.

The premise is interesting for fresh, raw, and otherwise quickly perishable food products at our local grocery stores. Would you scan QR codes to get more information about the meat your consuming? Maybe your vegetables in the future? Or should we trust our local markets to be doing that fact-checking for us?