Picadeli’s branded packaging will feature advanced digital watermarks from Digimarc to automatically verify pricing accuracy at self-checkout and tackle both retail shrink and food fraud – particularly among fresh and prepared foods.
Price look-up (PLU) fraud is reportedly increasing, especially in produce, deli counter, and salad bar applications. Self-checkout lines are apparently leading business to experience twice the industry average of retail shrink rates at around 4%, with fresh foods particularly susceptible to fraud.
Traditional barcodes can be manipulated or obscured, Digimarc explains; its digital watermarks, on the other hand, are invisible, and designed to integrate seamlessly with variable, weight-based product codes.
When the entered codes do not match the data on the digital watermark, an automatic system override is triggered. This is set to prevent tampering and keep product information intact throughout the self-checkout process.
The codes are embedded throughout the packaging, helping companies preserve their packaging design and operation efficiencies while achieving accuracy at checkout.
“As Picadeli scales fresh meals via its AI-powered Salad Bar across the U.S., we’re committed to helping our retail partners eliminate shrink,” said Patrik Hellstrand, CEO of Picadeli US. “Our collaboration with Digimarc addresses key challenges like PLU fraud to ensure profitable store operations and a frictionless consumer shopping experience. It’s an extension of our mission to innovate and disrupt the fresh food market with cutting-edge technologies.”
“As self-service and fresh food options continue to grow, so do the complexities in maintaining security and operational efficiency,” added Riley McCormack, president and CEO of Digimarc. “We’re excited to join forces with Picadeli to deliver innovative solutions that directly address these pain points.
“Together, we are not only reducing retail shrink but also enhancing the overall self-checkout experience for both retailers and consumers. We are committed to providing industry-leading retail solutions to enhance the retail experience – increasing efficiency, preventing loss, and combating fraud.”
The announcement comes after the successful validation of digital watermarking technology combined with NIR in sorting processes for flexible packaging, courtesy of the HolyGrail 2.0 initiative. Utilizing Digimarc’s watermarking solution, the solution is especially geared towards the separation of hygiene-grade LDPE films and food-grade PP films.
Digimarc also runs a Center of Expertise programme, through which packaging, print, and pre-media companies can integrate digital watermarking into their digital identification and authentication solutions. Wipak has recently participated in hopes of enabling its customers to “validate their recyclability rates at scale”.
In other news, Picadeli previously worked with Graphic Packaging International to top its paper-based salad bowls with a new range of snap-closing paperboard lids. These were set to eliminate 250 metric tons of plastic from Picadeli’s supply chain every year.
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