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Using QR codes to access food information: a behavioural study with European consumers

Collection: CCBI-DATA-PUBLIC : Behavioural Insights Public Archive: A Comprehensive Collection of Data Sets from Diverse Policy Areas and Methodologies carried out by the Competence Centre on Behavioural Insights 

Description

Replication package

Contact

Email
JRC-CCBI (at) ec.europa.eu

Contributors

How to cite

Alexia Gaudeul; Michal Krawczyk (2024): Using QR codes to access food information: a behavioural study with European consumers. European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) [Dataset] PID: http://data.europa.eu/89h/17704be1-0135-4d08-af8f-7cc3e8df2023

Data access

Replication package - Using QR codes to access food information: a behavioural study with European consumers
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European Commission reuse notice 
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Publications

Publication 2023
Using QR codes to access food information: a behavioural study with European consumers
Gaudeul, A. and Krawczyk, M., Using QR codes to access food information: a behavioural study with European consumers, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2023, doi:10.2760/358391 (online), JRC134602.
  • Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
DOI
10.2760/358391
Publication page 
  • Abstract

    We present an experiment to evaluate the impact of providing digital access to food information via QR codes. We measure consumers’ willingness to access digital food information by scanning QR codes on paper labels, and how this affects their knowledge about food products. The experiment was conducted online with 3420 participants from three Member States of the European Union (Spain, Germany, and Bulgaria). The sample was stratified in terms of age, gender, regions, place of residence (rural vs. urban) and education level. Participants made a number of choices between pairs of food products across a wide range of food categories. We varied the mode of display of some of the food information: it was either available directly (“paper label”) or only after the participants clicked on a QR code (“hybrid label”). We found that participants were as likely to choose food products with hybrid labels as those with paper labels. However, they were unlikely to access digital food information. As many as 37% of the participants never scanned any QR codes. Only 4% scanned all of them. On average, QR codes were scanned 24% of the time. Furthermore, products with hybrid labels slowed choice down and reduced the accuracy of what consumers knew about the product. We conclude that providing food information via QR codes rather than on paper labels has a negative impact on consumers.

Geographic areas

Bulgaria Germany Spain

Additional information

Published by
European Commission, Joint Research Centre
Created date
2024-03-05
Modified date
2024-03-05
Issued date
2024-03-05
Data theme(s)
Health
Update frequency
unknown
Identifier
http://data.europa.eu/89h/17704be1-0135-4d08-af8f-7cc3e8df2023
Popularity