The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates that around 30–40 percent of the U.S. food supply is wasted annually. Public misunderstanding of how to identify expiration dates and recalled goods may lead to items that are safe to eat being thrown away. However, Blue Bite, a connected products platform, believes that QR codes may be a key solution to reducing food waste.

QR codes linked with a connected products platform, such as those powered by Blue Bite, makes item-level tracking and tracing a possibility. QR codes allow consumers and retailers to access interactive, adaptable landing pages to gain information on individual product and batch numbers, expiration dates, recall information, and more.

Blue Bite expresses that QR codes provide many capabilities to the food and grocery industries, such as:

• Empowering individuals in the supply chain to input and access information on location, dates, and more
• Informing consumers and retailers of when products are still safe to eat or sell
• Immediate notification of product recalls and action steps
• Tracking product waste so that retailers can order goods more appropriately
• Identifying better ways for brands to dispose of unsellable or uneatable products such as through food donation programs, composting, and other methods.

Blue Bite believes that interactive QR codes linked with a connected products platform can help brands more efficiently manage recalls and reduce waste.

Blue Bite: www.bluebite.com