Dive Brief:
- Foster Farms announced new technology for packaging known as DORI. An acronym for deals, origin, recipes and information, Dori can be used by shoppers by simply scanning the QR codes—located on all of Foster Farms’ fresh chicken lines—into their phones.
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Ira Bell, a company spokesperson for Foster Farms, said QR codes are a great way to get out the information its products and reward its loyalty customers. "People are looking for convenience and savings and want to know more about where their food comes from. DORI is a new tool for us to share information that our consumers care about," he said in a statement.
- The codes will be promoted at retail outlets and on social media platforms. The company expects to have QR codes on all of its products by 2019.
Dive Insight:
QR codes have been around since the 1990s, but their function continues to change along with consumer demand. In 2018, QR codes are revered for their ability to offer the transparency demanded by the modern shopper. Studies have found nearly all consumers would pay more for a transparent product, giving companies like Foster Farms another reason to add QR codes to their packaging.
Although these black-and-white boxes, originating in Japan, were traditionally used as advertisements for brands, today’s companies give them a more functional value. The food and beverage industries see QR codes as a way to improve manufacturer and consumer communications by supplying shoppers with everything from personal stories about where a product came from and who raised it to recipes that use it.
The desire for more informative food labels also stems from a growing number of people wanting to eat organic foods, with less additives and more health benefits. However, research from Label Insight reveals that 67% of consumers find it challenging to make a product decision just by looking at the packaging and almost half feel uninformed after looking at a label.
This is why many in the food industry are looking to QR codes as the future of product labeling. Still, many consumers are unaware of what to do when they see the black and white box. And even if a shopper knows what a QR code is, they might shy away from using it, assuming that the item is only a marketing ploy. It seems CPG companies have a opportunity to take advantage of the information contained in QR codes, but they may need to first spend some time informing individuals about what they are in order to fully take advantage of them.
Foster Farms’ dip into QR codes comes at the perfect time to secure the brand’s place in the growing organic chicken space. Last year, Bell & Evans, the country’s oldest chicken producer, announced the opening of a new processing plant in Pennsylvania to keep up with organic poultry demand. Similarly, Perdue is investing money in organic chickens and is reporting between a 20% and 25% increase in this category.
With consumers demanding access to more transparent foods, companies such as Foster Farms may increasingly rely on QR codes to spread the news about their products.