Consumers can now scan bacon to find out exactly where it's come from, thanks to a new pilot scheme aiming to highlight food transparency.
To celebrate Organic September, the Soil Association has partnered with British tech start-up Provenance for a pilot to enable shoppers to trace their food from supplier to shelf with a simple phone scan.
Following the supermarket horsemeat scandal and the recent mass egg recall, shoppers continue to question the origin of their food purchases.
Food transparency is now seen as a growing trend, with consumers wanting to know where their food comes from and the precise journey it made from field to fork.
In this new partnership, consumers will be able use interactive software to discover the people, places and certifications behind the produce they buy.
This technology will allow consumers to discover the journey of their food through an interactive label – where it was grown, reared or harvested, how it was processed, transported, when and by who.
It also gives producers an opportunity to share the story behind what makes their products so great.
Unique journey
Using three types of labels and identifiers; barcode, QR code and NFC tags, shoppers scan or hover their smart phones to find out the unique journey behind their food.
This includes information about its origin, ingredients, and any special attributes such as organic, gluten-free, dairy-free etc. Photos of the product’s creation, as well as farmer or producer profiles can be viewed too.
Anna Bury, Sales and Marketing Director of Eversfield Organic Farm in Devon, comments: “We are honoured to be part of this new programme. This is a huge step towards a future for all shoppers to choose authentic products with a positive impact on our planet.
“It’s long been our dream to produce the best quality organic meat, from the happiest of animals, making it available to everyone. Now consumers can follow the journey of our animals every step of the way.”
