Irena Vélez
Farmers Forum
Consumers can now scan QR codes on packaged beef cuts and get all the information they need about the meat’s nutritional value, storage requirements, and cooking tips.
Initially launched in January, the first edition of Canada Beef’s Information Gateway is a plat- form that gives consumers access to 75 beef cut profiles, easily accessible through QR codes at local retailers. The initiative is a post-pandemic recovery strategy intended to boost beef sales and consumer satisfaction, while promoting the consumption of all parts of the carcass and appealing to new generations of consumers digitally.
The first collection of Gateway label kits was quickly sold out and Beef Canada has reordered triple the amount, said Michael Young, president of Canada Beef.
Forty-one operators in Canada are using Gateway labels, which include meat shelf dividers, package labels, shelf danglers, stickers for meat cases, and tent cards. “The feedback we’ve been getting from our retail partners is really positive,” said Young. “They all see the opportunity because consumers use their phones and want information now; they don’t want to wait for it.”
As of April, the second edition of the Gateway provides customized QR code displays tailored to particular retailers and their brands. Canada Beef is working with tier 1 to tier 3 national retailers that represent 95 per cent of beef sales in Canada, said Young.
Beef farmers, cattle associations, and meat packers are now able and eager to market their products through their own customized Gateway labels, said Young.
Canada Beef is working on allowing access to Gateway through UPS labels, adding beef trace- ability information, adding recipes tailored to particular dietary needs, adding a world cuisine recipe collection, and re- leasing a French version later in 2022. With beef prices at record highs and consumption numbers falling, Young says this is “just what the beef industry needs. It’s not just another recipe app, this is a whole market development movement that we’re moving to.”
