Customers visiting Carrefour stores in Shanghai are now able to trace the origin of vegetables and fruits on sale by scanning the Quick Response codes of products with their smartphones.
The production place and date of the item, the business license of its supplier and other information regarding the farms can be tracked down, officials said yesterday.
Customers will feel safe to eat these products, and the quality of the products can be controlled from their sources, according to Mahmut Kaya, merchandise food director of Carrefour's Shanghai region.
At the end of last year, Carrefour started putting the QR codes on products' price display boards. All of its outlets in Shanghai will have the codes by the end of this week, officials said.
To ensure food safety, Carrefour purchases agricultural products such as carrots, strawberries and green vegetables directly from farms in both the suburbs of Shanghai and other provinces known for their strict control of pesticides, according to Martin Dallocchio, regional manager of Carrefour Shanghai.
The intent is to improve food safety and freshness, and also increase farmers' incomes at the same time, Carrefour said.
Following checks by the farms, samples of products will be sent to a laboratory at Carrefour's Wanli outlet in Putuo District for further testing on pesticide residue. The lab checks nearly 50 indexes such as food additives, microbes and veterinary drugs for about 65 categories of products.
