Role of Barcodes in the Distribution of Food Products

Food barcodes were first used in the US in 1974; a packet of Wrigley's chewing gum was the first item scanned.

In recent years, barcodes have grown more important within the food distribution sector. Food product barcodes are a method of coding and tracking food products. They help improve productivity, decrease waste, and improve inventory control in the food business.

Let's now explore more about barcoding in food packaging.

Reasons to Implement

Managing the distribution of food products is a challenging task, especially when it comes to tracking and managing inventory. Using barcodes is one approach to solving this problem. The deployment of barcodes in the food distribution industry can considerably impact the efficiency, accuracy, and safety of the distribution process. Let's see how:

• Inventory tracking

Food barcodes make it simple and accurate to keep track of stock levels, which helps distributors determine which goods are in stock and when to place further orders. You can use a barcode reader to track a food product from the moment the distributor receives it until it reaches the consumer. This makes it simpler to control inventory, spot stagnant goods, and prevent stockouts.

• Quicker and more efficient checkouts 

Barcodes can completely transform the checkout experience in food purchasing. Barcodes can also aid in lowering errors during manual data entry because they allow for scanning numerous product barcodes at once.

In grocery stores, self-checkout is growing in popularity. Customers can quickly and swiftly process their own transactions. They do not need help from a cashier to scan the food product barcodes. This minimizes the wait time for consumers and frees workers to focus on other activities.

• Quality control 

By using barcodes to track the movement of food products from farm to table, it is possible to easily pinpoint the origin of any issues that may develop, such as outbreaks of foodborne illnesses. Distributors, for instance, can use barcode information to identify a tainted product's source and remove it from the supply chain.

To ensure that goods are transported and stored in the proper environmental conditions, barcodes can also monitor temperature and other environmental factors during storage and transportation. Barcodes can also check suppliers' performance and ensure they uphold quality requirements.

Applications of Barcodes in food distribution

In the food sector, barcodes have use cases in production and manufacturing, warehousing and storage, etc. Distributors and retailers can effectively track and manage inventory, complete transactions, and track how goods are being moved across the supply chain using barcodes.

• Warehousing and storage 

Barcodes identify and track specific products in the warehouse. Each product has a distinctive barcode that encodes details like the product name, batch number, and expiration date.

Barcodes can also monitor how goods come in and go out of the warehouse. To ensure that the right things are picked and lower the chance of mistakes, warehouse personnel can use food barcode scanners to locate products in the warehouse swiftly.

• Logistics and transportation

In the food distribution sector, barcodes are very helpful in transportation and logistics. Distributors can follow the movement of products from the manufacturer to delivery by giving each batch a unique barcode.

Barcodes can also streamline delivery routes, reducing transportation expenses while speeding up deliveries.

• Retail sector 

Barcoding in food packaging is useful for fast and accurate product identification at checkout, allowing cashiers to complete transactions more quickly. The use of barcodes reduces errors that could occur during manual data entry.

The popularity of self-checkout is increasing in retail stores. Customers can scan the products they purchase and self-scan the barcodes on the products to complete transactions without cashier assistance. This reduces customer wait times and allows workers to focus on other tasks.

• Foodservice 

Barcodes can track food product movement inside a restaurant, control food production and delivery, and ensure that orders are accurate and delivered on time.

For instance, barcodes can be used in restaurants to manage the use of ingredients and follow the progress of orders as they are delivered from the kitchen to the table.

Common barcodes used in food distribution

The following types of barcodes are popular in the food distribution industry:

1. UPC for food products - The most widely used barcode in North America is the Universal Product Code (UPC). It is useful in identifying products at the point of sale. Usually found on packaged foods and drinks, food UPC codes have 12 digits.

2. European Article Number (EAN)  - Like UPC codes for food products in North America, EAN barcodes are popular in Europe and many other regions of the world to identify products at the point of sale. The EAN barcode has 13 digits.

3. The Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) - GTIN is a special code used to identify goods in international trade. GTIN barcodes, in conjunction with food UPC codes and EAN barcodes, can trace the movement of products in the supply chain.

4. Data Matrix  - This two-dimensional barcode is essential for tracking and tracing products throughout the supply chain since it can store more data than a typical linear barcode. Data Matrix barcodes are frequently used on small or atypically shaped commodities like vegetables or meat.

5. QR Code - Although more generally recognized by customers, QR codes are comparable to Data Matrix barcodes. With the ability to be scanned by a smartphone, QR codes provide further product details or marketing messaging.

Advantages of using barcodes in food distribution

Barcodes are gaining importance in the business due to the rising demand for reliable and secure food distribution.

Several phases of the distribution process, including production, logistics and transportation, and food service, can use barcodes. Distributors may expedite procedures and eliminate errors by giving each product a distinct barcode.

Some of the advantages of barcodes in the food distribution industry are:

Benefits for Manufacturers

• Easy updation of the stock position.
• Information on sales for a given lot can be readily available.
• Quick and accurate estimation of the product's success or failure.
• Better control over internal operations.
• Management of inventories in warehouses, etc., becomes easier.

Benefits for Retailers

• More effective and immediate inventory control.
• It is simple to keep track of the out-of-stock products.
• Electronic checkout makes things easier and faster.
• Assists self-service, cutting down the need for multiple manual laborers.
• Helpful in charging the right price to customers

Benefits for Consumers

• Barcodes are frequently used for online payments, enabling faster and more accurate transactions.
• Using barcodes ensures that the customers pay the right price for an item.
• Barcodes often contain additional information about food products, which is useful for customers with dietary preferences.

Future of barcodes in the food industry

Given that new technological developments are being made to increase the precision and effectiveness of barcode scanning, the future of barcodes in the food business is bright. The followings are some trends and changes we can anticipate in the use of barcodes in the food business in the future:

• Integration with IoT and Big Data 

To offer real-time information about food goods, including temperature, location, and other crucial variables, barcodes will be connected with smart devices. The quality and safety of food products can be improved, and waste will be decreased using this data.

• Increase in the use of QR codes 

QR codes are growing in popularity in the food business because they can store more data than standard barcodes, such as product provenance, allergen details, and nutritional values. Also, QR codes are editable, meaning that you don’t need to create a new QR code if you need to update the information in it.

In order to give consumers more transparency and knowledge about what they are consuming, food QR code scanners can be very helpful.

• Mobile scanning 

The food business is increasingly utilizing mobile scanning technology, which enables customers to scan barcodes with their smartphones to obtain product details, including nutritional data, allergies, and country of origin.

Overall, barcodes play a major role in food distribution. They help the food distribution sector operate more efficiently and with fewer mistakes, guaranteeing that the clients get only top-notch goods.

Given their current applications and use cases in the distribution of food products from farm to fork and the potential applications in the future, now is the time to leverage barcodes to transform food distribution completely.