Consumer Group calls for more transparency in product labels, more than what barcodes provide

Shoppers are demanding more transparency with what they buy, which could mean the end of that black and white stripes on the products, more familiarly known as barcodes.

Barcodes are scanned five billion times every day. It has revolutionised how the retail world operates as it allows cashiers to simply ring up products faster and accurately, streamlining logistics.

But it seems like the barcode is not enough to keep up with the demand of shoppers for more information about the products they buy. Plus, owners require more information about every product they sell to manage stock taking, product recalls, and fake items.

Experts suggest that there should be new global standards when it comes to products and labels information. This could be a pricey revamp on new systems and scanners.

Barcodes identify a product, but it does not give other important information such as the ingredients, country of origin, and its allergens. Those data may be seen on the product, but shoppers want to see information online or through their smartphone apps.

There are companies that are now working together to standardise product data and labelling. Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) is one of the groups exerting effort to harmonise these information.

CGF is a global network that has 400 retailers and manufacturers from various parts of the world. Most companies agree that more transparency is needed in the industry after the 2013 horsemeat scandal and other food scandals.

In other news self-scanning checkout may also be coming to an end. Supermarket chain Waitrose removed its self-scanning kiosk from its store in Oakgrove in Milton Keynes. They replaced it with more manned tills. This helped them speed up certain transactions.

According to Capgemini consultant Kees Jacobs, "The current barcode is not sufficient to be the carrier of much more granular information that is needed."