2D barcodes can identify toxic foods

Below is an outline of the sequence of events based on a tray of fresh raspberries labeled with a 2D barcode and sold in a Danish supermarket. The consumer then became ill, and now an intense investigation is underway to prevent further cases of illness and get the products in question off the shelves.

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1. Collection

Stomach ulcers are affecting more consumers and alarm bells are ringing at Statens Serum Institut. Have the affected Danes been traveling and possibly brought illness home with them? Or maybe they all ate something that made them sick? In this case, they work quickly with questionnaires, and in some cases, Statens Serum Institut also investigates what the sick people have bought.

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2. Analysis

The researchers use statistics to identify the goods that sick people have purchased more often than healthy consumers, and this is where GS1 plays a crucial role. Combining the researchers' work with the barcode system allows them to automate the process faster by collecting data in the system. This makes it much more efficient to find the infected food. The detective work does not end here.

As raspberries are not only found in the produce section or frozen food, but can also be found in processed goods, the GS1 system can be useful. Especially in more difficult cases where it turns out that not just one product, but several products contain the pathogenic ingredient.

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3. Delimitation

By comparing the receipts of those affected with the shelf life information on the barcodes, it is possible to delineate the time period during which the infected product was consumed. If you use receipts and barcodes to determine that the culprit must be infected raspberries, you want to avoid having to recall all raspberries. GS1 barcodes help to limit the recall by pointing to where the infected raspberries have ended up.

Soon it will even be possible to be more specific before contacting the people who may have bought the bad berries. It's as much about prevention as containment.

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4. The consumer

The expectation is that the system and research will soon be able to work even better together. Then the delimitation will be really specific - the batch number of the product will warn consumers who have bought the infected raspberries. Instead of recalling a whole range of raspberries and their offshoots, you could warn exactly those who bought the bad berries, effectively containing the problem. This would limit the number of recalls, solve outbreaks faster and minimize food waste.

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5. Research.

The Statens Serum Institute has created the website mineindkob.dk, where you can give your receipts to researchers so that research can be conducted into the connection between our health and what we buy.
For example, it can lead to greater knowledge about which additives increase the risk of disease and which are harmless. And it will probably lead to better knowledge about the link between diet and some of the diseases that we currently do not know why they occur or worsen.

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6. Health

The overall knowledge is streamlined. This means better health for everyone, but also savings for both the manufacturer and the retail chain. All in all, it creates greater security for the seller and the buyer.

Read more about how you can work efficiently and safely with the new barcodes on our 2D barcodes page.