Australian dairy delivers reassurance to China's parents

Camperdown Dairy International has adopted a new platform to allow Chinese consumers to check the authenticity and provenance of its products using their smartphones.

Developed with product identification and inspection experts Matthews Australasia and the cloud-based authenticity platform Trust Codes, the system prints each tin of infant milk formula with a unique QR code with human-readable information managed by iDSnet. The printed QR code allows consumers to scan and identify the individual product and report its history. It also displays information about Camperdown Dairy International, Australian dairy products and how best to consume the product.

Using a proprietary algorithm based on scanning history to validate each individual product, each Trust Code assures consumers that the product is not counterfeit, is not subject to a recall and is not beyond its shelf life, as well as other safety checks.

Camperdown General Manager Gavin Evans said, “We recognised that Chinese consumers want surety that the product they give to their children is real and is sourced from the country of origin that is stated on the packaging. We want them to be able to easily access that information with just their smartphone, and they can do this at the retail store or later at home.”

The code works with any smartphone. There is no dedicated app to download, which Camperdown considered to be a major barrier to adoption.

Camperdown is one of eight Australian infant-formula manufacturers approved by the Chinese Government. Since being granted its Chinese infant-formula manufacturing and export licence in July 2015, Camperdown has been focused on increasing production at its Melbourne-based site to supply China and the domestic market.

Chinese regulators are requiring infant-milk-formula producers to provide comprehensive tracking and identification systems in response to consumer concerns about food safety.