Allklear (Future Salad) Combats Fake Foods with REAL QR
Background
Allklear, a food-tech start-up, developed a “drinkable”, powder-form salad that received popular acclaim among consumers in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Meanwhile, counterfeit products made by the bogus manufacturers emerged that affected the brand and users.
Solution
The company adopted REAL QR hologram security labels on the Future Salad products in Taiwan, on which consumers can use mobile phone to scan the QR code embedded with the patented micro-printing technology, to allow users distinguish genuine products from the fakes.
Benefit
REAL QR solution helps combat the counterfeits, enhancing food safety and reinforcing brand reputation. A simple mobile scan to authenticate can build consumers trust and help devise future marketing strategy with the scan data collected.
Background
Allklear, a food-tech start-up, developed a “drinkable”, powder-form salad that has the nutritional content of 6 bowls of salad in a sachet, by making use of aerospace-grade technology called Krystallos Sublimation Drying Technology. The product significantly reduces carbon emission by 98% required for storage space, transportation, etc. than the normal salads, earning it the merit as the world’s first carbon-neutral salad. The company is hopeful to take lead in this brand-new generation of sustainable future health foods in the market.
In some 4 years, Future Salad has expanded to Mainland China, Taiwan and Thailand with an annual sales volume of 4 million units, partly because of its exceptional online marketing strategy.
Despite success in Taiwan, Future Salad faced a new problem: counterfeit products emerged made by the bogus manufacturers. Customer service staff once received enquiry about the altered product taste and texture, which was found to be counterfeits stealing the product’s packaging to sell online. Tested in lab, the counterfeits were found of completely different ingredients, and the illicit merchant even plagiarized all website content and built a fake e-shop to sell the fakes. The company thus enlisted the help of GS1 HK's Real QR solution to authenticate the products to ensure food safety and protect users from harm, ultimately keeping the brand image intact.
Solution – REAL QR
Future Salad has first applied the REAL QR hologram security labels on its products sold in Taiwan in June 2024. Consumers can use mobile phone to scan the QR code embedded with the patented micro-printing technology, the REAL QR app or web browser would pop-up to allow users distinguish genuine products from the fakes. The company aims to extend the solution to other sales territories.
Patented Authentication & Data Analytics
The solution integrates multi-layered tamper-resistant security features with GS1 standards on barcode label to prevent forgery. Each QR code is composed of numerous shapes and nano-sized dots that makes it unique & inimitable in the market.
The one-of-a-kind solution can be used around the world, protecting global consumers from fraud. In the meantime, it helps Future Salad to capture scan activities and data like the time of scan, scan location, scan device / system, etc., and be alerted of the counterfeit goods, while obtaining the consumers scan data for analysis and future marketing purpose.
Global Protection
Future Salad is expanding to the US through Amazon, where consumers are generally more sophisticated and look for higher food quality and sustainability standards in brands. The company can easily showcase its commitment to safeguarding consumers’ health and safety with the REAL QR, thus boasting its brand value and advantages through the credible international organisation like GS1 HK.
Wide Adoption
The solution has attracted a number of customers to scan and authenticate to clear any doubts, in more than a month after the adoption. Future Salad has been promoting how consumers can identify the real from fakes using REAL QR via a designated webpage: www.futuresalad.com.hk/product-verification. Applicable to a wide array of products besides food, the solution has been used on a few million items covering consumer electronics, health & personal care, FMCG products and more.
Benefit
GS1 HK’s REAL QR solution helps reinforce brand reputation by
- Combating the sale of counterfeits and exposing the fake, defending consumers from scam and enhancing food safety
- A simple mobile scan to build consumers trust and facilitate access to new market with a mark of quality and authenticity;
- The scan data collected support future marketing strategy
Food safety is always our no. 1 priority as a food company. The patented technology provided by GS1 HK helps us protect customers from counterfeits, bust the piracy, keep our reputation intact, and most importantly ensure consumers’ wellbeing and build trust, with just a mobile scan. It means a lot to us.
Angus Au
Co-founder and CMO, AllKlear Health
GS1 standards used or solutions/services used
GS1 standards used or solution (s) /service (s) used
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Company Background
Future Salad is a futuristic food-tech company, co-founded by a group of young entrepreneurs who are passionate about sports, pursue healthy lifestyles and care about the environment. With “Promote Health, live a Green life” in mind, Future Salad combines nature and innovative technology to produce future health foods, with a dream of making people around the world live healthier, happier with higher standards.
