Danone boosts baby formula traceability

Danone has launched a baby formula Track & Connect service — a digitally enabled service that provides greater transparency for retailers and consumers about a product’s farm-to-fork journey. Through the Track & Connect service, consumers and retailers will be able to access after-sales support and services for its baby formula brands, like Aptamil, Karicare, Laboratoire Gallia and Nutrilon.

Consumers can access the service through their smartphones, by scanning two QR codes on baby formula packs, with one QR code laser printed on the outer pack and the second QR code laser printed behind a tamper-resistant seal, which can only be scanned after purchase. The dual QR code system allows shoppers to verify the quality and authenticity of the formula, such as where and when the formula was manufactured and the product’s journey through the supply chain. After purchasing and opening the sealed pack, consumers will be able to scan the second QR code, triggering a one-time, initial message, verifying the product’s authenticity.

The service is powered by blockchain, serialisation and aggregation technology.

“We’re very pleased to be rolling out our baby formula Track & Connect service to consumers and retailers in 2020. Thanks to this innovation in packaging and data management, we’ll be able to offer one of the most comprehensive traceability services in the baby formula industry and connect more closely to our consumers and retailers to offer them after-sales services they value,” said David Boulanger, Senior Vice President of Operations at Danone Specialised Nutrition.

The Track & Connect service will initially be launched in China for the Aptamil and Nutrilon brands; Danone plans to roll out the service from 2020 in France for its Laboratoire Gallia brand, and in Germany, Australia and New Zealand for Aptamil and Karicare.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Africa Studio