Producers from Australia are labeling their bottles with quick response codes to assuage concerns.
Australian olive oil producers are adding authenticity QR codes to their product labels. They designed the quick response codes to redirect to a personalized video geared toward Chinese consumers.
The marketing strategy, called Australian Authentic, is meant to verify the authenticity of the product.
The goal of the authenticity QR codes is to assuage consumer concerns and is predicted to double Australian grower returns. Chris Mercer, Western Australian olive producer and Australian Authentic chairperson, said the quick response code labeling program was focused on verification of the high standards to which they adhere from production through to consumer purchase.
“We believe that any customer who pays money for a food product is entitled to know where, when, and by whom it was made,” said Mercer. “We are trying to answer all of those future questions already because we think that customers, especially in social media savvy counties, are soon going to exercise their entitlement to know these things about the products that they are spending their money on.”
The authenticity QR codes will first be used by a small group of olive oil producers supplying the program.
These consist of premium Australian producers participating in the Horticulture Innovation Australia funded researcher work. At the moment, last season’s extra virgin oil test batches are sold via a special network and social marketing, directly to consumers. From there, those consumers can scan either of two QR codes.
Those QR codes confirm the authenticity of the product. They direct the consumer to a specific website with information about the olive oil. This includes everything from the growth of the olives to the production of the oil itself. It also includes information about various types of certifications held by the product creators, including lab certificates. From there, the consumer can also find videos, Australian standards and other information regarding the consumer. The amount of information available will only grow over time.
The authentication QR codes may also one day include information about the harvester who produced the specific batch on which the label is printed, or the machine used for producing it, said Mercer.