A customer scans a QR code to learn about the origins of tomatoes in a store (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Sinceearly 2018, Hanoi’s consumers have been able to scan quick response (QR)codes to trace the origins of agricultural products sold at supermarkets andconvenience store, however, the impact of this change has been limited becauseproducers find the system difficult to apply and consumers do not fully trustthe codes' authenticity.
By scanning the codes onproducts' packaging, customers can learn where the fruits and vegetables aregrown, who owns the farm and the names of the producers and distributors.
Hoa Binh Cooperative in Ha Dong districtwas one of the first cooperatives to use QR codes to identify their fruits andvegetables. But after just three months, the group stopped using thetechnology.
Trinh Van Vinh, thecooperative's director, told Kinh Te& Do Thi (Economic and Urban Affairs) newspaper that thetechnology requires farmers to keep track of information about their cropsand cultivation and then enter it into the software system. Maintainingaccurate information with the QR codes takes three to four times the usualefforts than just putting a normal stamp on the packaging to indicate aproduct's origins.
“After a short trial time, werealised that customers do not really care much about the technology," hesaid. "Only one to two out of 10 customers scan the codes so wedecided to stop applying it."
Nguyen Tu Linh, a customer of PTMart in the city's Ha Dong district, told the newspaper that it takes time toget out her smartphone and scan the codes.
“Each product has many differentstamps and codes with various shapes and sizes," she said. "I can’tdistinguish which one is the most accurate."
Tran Thu Hong, a customer inLong Bien district, expressed doubts over the authenticity of the informationdisplayed after scanning the codes. She said the information comes onlyfrom producers without the verification or supervision of any agency, soit could be one-sided.
Nearly two years afterintroducing the codes, 81 percent of the city's fruit stores use QRcode. The city’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development issued QRcodes for 236 enterprises and more than 4,000 products.
According to the city’splan, the application of QR codes will be expanded by the end of thisyear to trace the origins of other agricultural products, productionfacilities, farms, slaughterhouses, large-scale processing establishments,supermarkets, wholesale markets and market management boards.
In 2020, all productionchains in the city will use the codes to trace product origins andprovide transparency for consumers.
Under the plan, the rate ofproducts with traceable origins through the codes from small-scale productionand businesses will increase by 30-50 percent.
To reach these targets,however, there are tonnes of work ahead for Hanoi City.
Nguyen Thi Thu Hang, deputy headof city’s Agricultural-forestry-fishery Product Management Division, said theadoption of the technology remained slow and instructions on how to begin usingthe codes lacked details.
Most traceability efforts areconducted manually, requiring a lot of workers and raising doubt over theauthenticity of the data, according to the official.
Farmers are not used to keepingorigin records for produce, making it difficult to manage and supervise foodquality.
Ta Van Tuong, deputy director ofthe city's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, proposed theagriculture ministry and Ministry of Science and Technology issue a full set ofnational standards on origin traceability for food.
In the future, QR codes will bemandatory for domestically produced goods.-VNS/VNA
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