In the next six months, Norgesgruppen will roll out a replacement for the well-known barcode, he reports nations.
Together with GS1 Norway, the Norgesgruppen has worked extensively to obtain information on the expiration date in the barcode on products. This will now be replaced with so-called two-dimensional codes in shops.
– Reducing food waste in the whole value chain is the main focus of this transition, Norgesgruppen sustainability director Signe Bunkholt Sæter tells the newspaper.
The project will eventually also include producers such as Tine, Nortura and Bama.
That’s why you can’t stop
Less food waste
Norgesgruppen already tested the new code in a pilot project in 2019. There they tested the extended barcodes on 14 of their own brands. The result has been a reduction in food waste by 10 to 15 per cent, in kroner and øre.
Norgesgruppen aren’t the only ones testing alternative barcodes. Australian supermarket chain Woolworths has also tried 2D codes, again in partnership with GS1.
According to GS1 Norway, the use of 2D codes has been adopted in China with great success. By the end of 2023, 80% of all food processing enterprises in Zhejiang province are expected to adopt 2D codes on their products.
The Norwegian Food Safety Authority: Clear Call
2D barcode
The new barcode is called a 2D barcode and can contain much more information than regular barcodes. In addition to identifying the item, 2D codes can tell something about expiration date, country of origin, etc., he writes GS1 on its website.
The codes are shaped like squares or rectangles and contain many dots, not unlike a QR code.
