QR Codes

Category: QR Codes

QR codes on sushi help to mark partnership milestone

Lucy | February 14, 2013

The barcodes are being used to celebrate the latest achievement between Moshi Moshi and the MSC.

The first sushi bar in the United Kingdom that uses the conveyer belt style is celebrating an important milestone in its long standing relationship with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) through the addition of pieces featuring QR codes to its menu.

The restaurant has been partnered with the MSC for a considerable amount of time.

The sustainable seafood watch group has now certified the service of 10,000 sushi dishes at Moshi Moshi since the partnership began. The restaurant decided that this milestone should be celebrated in a unique way. It therefore decided to take on the task of designing a sushi dish that formed the shape of QR codes.

The QR codes are a part of the sushi and can actually be scanned in order to reveal more information.

By ordering the sushi QR codes, diners can use their smartphones to scan the barcodes and learn more about the fish that they are eating and where it was sourced. The design of the dish, itself, was quite complex and challenging as it was meant to create the code itself, and not simply have it stuck on top. Moreover, the barcode needed to be functional.

These unique QR codes were made up of sushi dish staples which included everything from squid ink to green tea powder. A scan redirects the user to a URL with content that is linked to the food on the plate. As the fish from the restaurant is MSC certified, this means that the diner will be able to learn more about this responsible and sustainable choice of meal.

Diners have been expressing considerable interest in the entire experience surrounding the sushi QR codes, starting from being able to watch the chefs carefully construct them in order to make certain that they work, all the way to the point that they can be scanned and, of course, eaten. These are, after all, entirely edible works of art and they are meant to be observed, scanned as well as to be consumed and enjoyed.

QR code ads conflict with gas station warning signage

Lucy | February 12, 2013

Smartphone friendly barcodes are being used in cell phone unfriendly locations.

It is becoming increasingly common to see a QR code posted in places such as in magazine print ads, on billboards, and on product packaging, but their latest addition to gas pumps is causing some consumers a great deal of confusion.

These quick response barcodes offer everything from discounts to free products when scanned.

However, the problem that consumers are having with these tempting opportunities is that they are located in areas that also display warnings that it is not safe to use cell phones and other electronic devices. The issue has been growing throughout the United States, appearing most recently in Minnesota.

The QR code ads promote opportunities for discounts but are posted in areas where cell phone use is banned.

Consumers are finding themselves quite confused by the conflicting information, as the signage both encourages them to scan a QR code and tells them not to use the device as it risks sparking a fire in a very dangerous location.

According to Jerry Rosendahl, State Fire Marshal in Minnesota, there is no real link known to exist between the use of a cell phone and the ignition of a fire at a gas station. He explained that there has never been any proof that the devices pose any risk of this nature. He stated that the concept that there was a problem seemed to have arisen when “Somebody had service station video of a person talking on their phone, getting out of their car and then they had a flash fire so they naturally jumped to the assumption that it was cell phones.”

The Fire Marshal’s office does not issue the signs that are posted at gas stations as they do not believe that the use of mobile phones causes the danger that the signage suggests. This means that it is the gas stations, themselves, that are choosing to post both signs that feature a QR code and those that warn consumers not to use their smartphones because it could cause a fire. According to Rosendahl, the largest risk of using the device near the pumps is that they cause consumers not to pay attention while working with gasoline, a hazardous material.