Tesco Sausage Range Becomes First UK Products To Switch Over Exclusively To QR Codes

One of the most revolutionary retailing improvements in decades gets underway in earnest this week when Tesco becomes the first supermarket in the UK to upgrade an entire product range over to a new scanning system.

The retail industry is currently working towards switching from traditional linear barcodes to QR codes which can hold far more information and help cut down on food waste.

And this week Tesco made a significant move by beginning to transition its entire own label core sausage range from the old barcodes to the next generation of QR codes.

The advantages of QR Codes include:
Customer Benefits
QR codes can be used to provide additional product information to customers such as nutritional content and traceability. Shoppers could also be able to access recipes and competitions.

Waste Reduction
Allowing retailers to have better visibility of the distribution of code lives on products in stores. This will help them to order more accurately and improve the efficiency of stock control routines, both of which will reduce unnecessary waste.

Product Management
In the event of product recalls, QR codes will allow retailers to identify the specific batches impacted rather than removing all items.

This will avoid throwing products away unnecessarily and improve availability. Retailers will even be able to block the sale of affected items at the till and contact customers who may have purchased them.

For customers, this is a tiny and almost invisible change at the checkout but for the retail industry it’s a significant step forward.

“Moving to QR codes will help us reduce food waste, improve stock control and unlock new digital benefits for our customers.

“Customers will continue to shop and pay in exactly the same way, but they’ll have the option to access far richer information about the products they buy simply by using their smartphones.

“Over time, this opens up exciting possibilities, such as personalised digital tools to help customers manage the food they buy and reduce waste at home. - Tesco Development and Change Director Peter Draper

Working with supplier partner Cranswick, the change will see 13 lines switched over including: 8 and 12 Tesco Pork Sausages; 12 Tesco Pork Chipolatas; Tesco British Pork Sausage Meat as well as British Cumberland Sausages 12 pack and British Lincolnshire Sausages 8 pack.

The move forms part of a wider industry shift led by GS1, the global body responsible for barcode standards, which has set a target for retailers and manufacturers to be ready to accept QR codes.

Tesco moving to QR codes powered by GS1 across an entire range marks a significant step forward for UK retail. It shows how the next generation of barcodes can support a more connected, transparent future.

“We hope this progress encourages others to follow Tesco’s lead so that consumers and businesses alike can benefit from richer, more trusted product information. - Anne Godfrey, CEO of GS1 UK

While linear barcodes will remain on branded products during the transition period, Tesco’s move demonstrates how existing technology can already be used at scale to deliver tangible benefits for customers, colleagues, and the planet; and signals the direction of travel for the rest of the industry.

The idea for the barcode originated in America in 1948 when two graduate students, Norman Woodland and Bernard Silver began developing a system for capturing product information at point of sale in supermarkets.

Their invention, using machine-readable data, was based on the Morse Code. After various trials the system was internationally accepted as a retail industry standard on 3 April 1973.

It wasn’t until 2 October 1979 that a barcode was first used in the UK – at a Spalding, Lincs shop, for a box of teabags.