Edible QR codes bring transparency to sushi

Aiming to raise awareness about its sustainable fishing practices, the Harney Sushi restaurant includes edible QR codes on its meals.

We recently saw the Ecuador Ministry of Tourism attach QR codes to its bananas to encourage consumers to find out more about the country their food comes from. Aiming to raise awareness about its sustainable fishing practices, the Harney Sushi restaurant includes edible QR codes on its meals.

There are current concerns about overfishing in the seafood industry, as well as the effect depleting resources has on the quality of the meat served in restaurants. According to Free Enterprise, a recent report showed that 52 percent of seafood in South California is mislabelled. Priding itself on its sustainable fishing practices, Harney Sushi – which is based in the state – has started to add edible QR codes made of rice paper and water-based ink to its dishes, which diners can scan to find out where their fish has come from, who caught it and whether the species is under threat from the fishing industry. The scheme serves to promote the restaurant’s record for good practice as well as awareness about the problem of poor standards elsewhere.

The edible QR codes are part of an increasing trend for transparency across the food industry and others, giving consumers confidence in the products they consume, potentially leading to greater sales. Are there other options to keep consumers informed?

Spotted by: Murray Orange