Codabene is now a part of Too Good To Go.
Enriched barcodes
Transforming product coding to improve traceability
Our Retail and Data experts work with retailers to enrich food product barcodes by adding, in particular, the best-before date/ sell-by date or batch number.
Why enrich barcodes?
Improve product traceability throughout the chain
Products tracked according to their expiry date and to their batch for greater safety
Engage in a pioneer digital transformation
Digitized data for reliable and sustainable consumption
Bar codes, a technology to be modernised
1974
The first product with a barcode is scanned at the checkout in Ohio
In the 1970s and 80s, barcodes become a standard in European stores to identify the product, but not its expiry date or batch number.
1980
Enriched barcodes used on medicine boxes
A European directive requires the serialisation of medicine boxes to combat the falsification of medicine for human use. A unique code authenticates and traces each medicine box. In particular, the expiry date is encoded.
2015
To help galvanize the United States’ efforts to reduce food loss and waste, USDA and EPA announced first-ever food loss and waste reduction goal in September 2015
The U.S. Food Loss and Waste 2030 Champions are businesses and organizations that have made a public commitment to reduce food loss and waste in their own operations in the United States by 50 percent by the year 2030. Champions include leaders from across the food chain.
2018
Ben Elliot appointed as UK first Food Surplus and Waste Champion to help promote awareness of the issue of food waste
The appointment is a key commitment of UK Resources and Waste Strategy launched in December 2018, and will support the commitment set out in the Strategy and 25 Year Environment Plan to work towards eliminating food waste to landfill by 2030.
2019
French MP Guillaume Garot, suggest adding best-before dates to barcodes to reduce waste
In the evaluation of the anti-waste law n°2016-138, the MP taskforce recommends the integration of “consumption dates in barcodes”, to effectively fight against food waste in stores and at home.