How Vegetable Produce Suppliers are Going Into QR Code Mode

By Thomas Skernivitz|May 10, 2023

The hundreds of thousands of products from more than 70 countries on the shelves and in the coolers of its two Cincinnati locations, Jungle Jim’s International Market is appropriately named. Shopping can be a bear in such a dense and tangled (but certainly exciting) environment. Fortunately, many produce suppliers are now including QR codes on their packaging to instantly relay information to consumers, who need only a smartphone to access. A late-March visit to the Eastgate branch of Jungle Jim’s netted the following QR code examples. Check out the slideshow.

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Fresh produce gets big play at Jungle Jim's.

Photo by Thomas Skernivitz
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80 Acres Farms (Hamilton, OH)

Based just 20 miles north of Cincinnati, the vertical farming company wants shoppers to know: “Food isn’t what it used to be. We made it better, and we did it by building a different kind of farm. A farm that doesn’t need sun, soil, or favorable weather to do its thing. A farm where pesticides have no place — because everything’s indoors, monitored, and controlled, 24/7. We built a farm where robots do the heavy lifting, so the humans can focus on growing the freshest, most nutritious food possible. A farm that can produce up to 300 times more food than an ordinary farm. With 100% renewable energy. And 95% less water. Pretty unbelievable, right? Well, believe it. This farm is real. We call it 80 Acres Farms.”

https://www.80acresfarms.com/how-it-works/

Photo by Thomas Skernivitz
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Crown Poly (Huntington Park, CA)

Jungle Jim’s uses signage and a QR code to promote its recycled ocean plastic Pull-N-Pak Produce Bags. “Crown Poly wants to Turn the Tide on ocean pollution and poverty!  So, we have partnered with our recycled material supplier to take action against the growing ocean pollution problem at its source – along beaches and shorelines in at risk zones. By removing it at its source, we can help stop nearly 12 million metric tons of plastic from entering the ocean each year. This ocean plastic is then recycled into grocery and produce bags that can be reused and recycled to extend their usefulness even further.”

https://www.crownpoly.com/turnthetide/

Photo by Thomas Skernivitz
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Herndon Country Farms (Lyons, GA)

Batting leadoff for us are Vidalia onions, largely because the QR code in this case is readily visible for anyone who might be wondering exactly what a QR code is. How does it work? Pretend you’re taking a photo of the QR code on your smartphone. As your phone captures the code in its viewfinder, a link associated with the code appears. Tap the notification and visit the supplier’s web page of choice for a take-home message or two. In this case, we’re directed to a blog that opens with a recipe for Lil’ Bo’s petite sweet Vidalia onion, pomegranate seed, and goat cheese salad.

VidaliasFinest.com/list/recipes

Photo by Thomas Skernivitz
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NatureSweet (Mexico)

Food traceability apparently means a lot to NatureSweet. The company singles out its webpage that allows shoppers to input lot numbers to find exactly which Mexican city their tomatoes came from — be it Colima, Nayarit, San Isidro, Tuxacuesco, or Zapotlan.

“Once the fruit is selected, weighed, and packed, NatureSweet tomatoes are carefully placed in boxes that contain specific growing and harvesting information for 100% product traceability. Our shipping crates have been specially designed to protect the tomato quality and improve airflow.”

https://www.foodid.com/

Photo by Thomas Skernivitz
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Ocean Mist Farms (Salinas Valley/Coachella Valley, CA)

These bags of spinach take you not to spinach but to artichokes — specifically a “Cooking Class” page comprised of how-to videos on cooking artichokes. Recipes, apparently, are QR code grocery store staples.

Photo by Thomas Skernivitz
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Peri & Sons (Yerington, NV)

Peri & Sons opens with some onion recipes of its own as well as some onion trivia. Did you know onions are the only basic ingredient found in every type of cuisine around the world? News to me! And therein lies the benefit with QR codes. Instant information.

PeriAndSons.com/recipes.php

Photo by Thomas Skernivitz