There has been a lot of recent political action surrounding the use of GMO labels on food products. Aside from obvious labels with clear messages, other additions to a food package can lead to better enforcement of these policies. For example, clear and correct barcode labels can be useful in making sure that proper contents are more strictly regulated.
This isn’t just a fringe idea: it’s being supported by the government. Specifically, by Tom Vilsack, the Agriculture Secretary who has expressed approval over the kind of digital verification system that Nestlé has been using to help consumers get information while still in the supermarket. This effort puts a lot of importance into the clarity of the packaging,
If it takes off across the country, this kind of initiative could take advantage of the near-omnipresence of smartphones and devices to make the process easier to implement, Vilsack says. The New York Times recently quoted him on the role that these digital initiatives could play.
“The F.D.A. and U.S.D.A. could help coordinate the compilation of information,” he said. “That way you wouldn’t create a misimpression about the safety of a product, which could happen depend on how something was labeled.”
This is just one way for the effort to combat GMO use to proceed, but if it sees widespread use, all companies will be expected to maintain high levels of quality for consumer scans.
Companies that manage a variety of different products and have to follow a tight schedule will require barcode label makers that consistently produce high-quality, informative products. They will also need to make labels that can be detected by the cameras built into users’ personal smartphone devices.
Leave a Reply