QR Codes for Food Packaging – the Ultimate Way to Engage Consumers

It was in the news very recently that shoppers are having trouble working out how much to eat due to confusing food and drink packaging. The main problem sits with the fact that it’s unclear how many portions are included in each product.

Which? surveyed over 1,200 people on portion sizes, and discovered that large numbers of them were unable to correctly estimate how many servings popular foods contained, with the majority vastly underestimating the serving sizes.

The problem with this mis-approximation is that lots of people rely on the traffic light labelling on food products to guide them on their fat, calorie, salt and sugar consumption. But this information is absolutely no use if it’s not based on realistic portion sizes. Which? is therefore pressing for supermarkets and food and drink manufacturers to make improvements and provide clearer labelling on serving sizes, so that shoppers are not misled about the products they buy.

We’re all for that. But we also think that supermarkets and manufacturers could take the opportunity to provide a whole lot more information to shoppers about the food and drink products they’re buying. Of course, product packaging offers limited space to do this. Which is why we believe all edible products should come complete with food label QR codes.

Here’s our thinking…

Food packaging QR codes help tell a brand story

These days, people want to know the backstory behind the stuff they buy, especially when they’re consuming it. We’re all becoming increasingly inquisitive about food miles and keen to support local suppliers and home grown ingredients. And anyone with their mind on sustainability is making educated choices about the brands they buy from.

So why not use your food packaging to tell your brand story and show what you stand for? Food label QR codes are the perfect way to share your vision, ethics and values and give insights into how you operate. By scanning your code, shoppers enter your world, where they can discover what makes your brand tick, and learn all they need to know about your supply chain.

You can put pretty much whatever you like behind QR codes for food packaging. An engaging written story. Pictures of your ingredients being harvested. Shots from your production line. Audio testimonials from your workforce. A personal ‘thank you for trusting us’ message from your CEO. And even better, you can update your info anytime you like, and the next time the code is scanned, the shopper will get your most recent news.

Food label QR codes enrich customer engagement

Have you ever been stuck for fresh and inventive mealtime ideas? If you find you’re getting bored with the same-old-same-old lunches and dinners (and your family is too), guaranteed you’re not alone.

Wouldn’t it be just dandy if you could pick something up in the supermarket, scan a QR code on the pack, and be met with a whole host of recipe, serving and accompaniment suggestions?

Helping your customers work out what they can do with your food (or drink) product will for sure make you their best friend. It’s like having a personal chef on hand, one that’s brimming with ideas to help you conjure up imaginative meals that are sure to impress the family, and maybe even a sneaky dinner date too 

All the shopper has to do is scan the QR code on food packaging, and there they have all sorts of recipe ideas and suggestions of what to serve the product with. If you produce a range of products, then this is your ideal opportunity to cross sell. You could even include a discount voucher to encourage and reward your customers as they buy add-on products.

You could also include step-by-step preparation videos, as well as tap into the power of user generated content by inviting customers to share their own ideas and inspiring how-to reels. Food label QR codes really are the ultimate customer engagement tool.

A QR code on food packaging makes regulatory information more widely accessible

Whilst you’ll never be able to replace the core regulatory information that’s required on food packaging with a digital version (not yet at least), what you can do is make that information so much more accessible to all.

That ingredients list, those allergen warnings and nutrition information, that best before or use by date, storage and cooking instructions - and that all-important portion size information that’s been the cause of concern for so many… with so much to cram onto the pack, the print is often a struggle to read, even at the regulatory font size.

But with food packaging QR codes, you can duplicate all of that information digitally, so your customers can scan the code and access everything they need to know, at a zoomed-in font size that suits their eyesight.

And even better… because QR codes auto-detect the language settings of the smartphone that’s doing the scanning, any customer who doesn’t have English as a first language is going to be over the moon that they can see exactly what they’re buying, when they need to use it by, and how to cook and store it, in their very own native language.

Food label QR codes – ready to engage your customers like never before?

Ban.gl QR codes for food packaging offer so many advantages. If you’re keen to share your brand story, production ethics and values, and really bring your food and drink products to life, these little black and white squares could be the answer.

Ban.gl food label QR codes are dynamic, multilingual and fully customisable. And our pricing plans are a piece of cake.