Food labels to have QR code to help the visually disabled

Food labels to have QR code to help the visually disabled

Subject : Science and Tech

Section: Awareness in IT

Context:

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has recommended the use of quick response (QR) codes on food products for accessibility by persons with visual disabilities, stating that this would ensure access to safe food for all, including those with special needs.

More About News:

• The FSSAI under its Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display)Regulations, 2020 has comprehensively outlined the information to be included on the labels of food products.
• This includes product name, shelf life, nutrition facts, vegetarian/non­vegetarian logos, ingredient lists, allergen warnings, and other product specific labeling requirements.
• The information is aimed at empowering consumers to make informed choices when selecting food products.
• The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 recognises the rights and needs of individuals with disabilities, which emphasize accessibility and the promotion of health for persons with disabilities.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

• It is a statutory body established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (FSS Act).
• FSS Act, of 2006 consolidated various acts & orders that had earlier handled food-related issues in various Ministries and Departments.
• Nodal ministry: Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

What are QR codes?

A QR code is a type of barcode that can be read easily by a digital device and which stores information as a series of pixels in a square-shaped grid. QR codes are frequently used to track information about products in a supply chain and – because many smartphones have built-in QR readers – they are often used in marketing and advertising campaigns. More recently, they have played a key role in helping to trace coronavirus exposure and slow the spread of the virus.

The first QR code system was invented in 1994 by the Japanese company Denso Wave, a Toyota subsidiary. They needed a more accurate way to track vehicles and parts during the manufacturing process. To achieve this, they developed a type of barcode that could encode kanji, kana, and alphanumeric characters.

Standard barcodes can only be read in one direction – top to bottom. That means they can only store a small amount of information, usually in an alphanumeric format. But a QR code is read in two directions – top to bottom and right to left. This allows it to house significantly more data.

The data stored in a QR code can include website URLs, phone numbers, or up to 4,000 characters of text. QR codes can also be used to:

• Link directly to download an app on the Apple App Store or Google Play.
• Authenticate online accounts and verify login details.
• Access Wi-Fi by storing encryption details such as SSID, password, and encryption type.
• Send and receive payment information.
• And much more – a company in the UK called QR Memories even creates QR codes for use on gravestones, allowing people to scan the code to read more about that deceased person’s life (if they have an obituary or news story relating to them online).