Monday, October 4, 2010

New Technology Allows Cincinnati Shoppers to Find Out Exactly Where Their Produce Comes From

What’s better than having peace of mind about when, where and how your food has been grown? With the introduction of the HarvestMark™ traceability solution in Cincinnati, shoppers at Kroger stores can now get inside information on the food they buy from the convenience of the grocery aisle, bringing the farm a little closer to the store. HarvestMark, the food traceability solution pioneered by YottaMark, Inc., is now available at Kroger stores nationwide as part of its Quality You Can TraceSM program, providing Cincinnati residents with the opportunity to follow their fresh produce all the way back to the source.

“We’re pleased to partner with Kroger to present shoppers in Cincinnati with a new way to reconnect with the people who grow their food,” said J. Scott Carr, President and CEO of YottaMark. “Today’s shopper is more focused on food quality and healthy eating than ever before. The Quality You Can Trace program provides an opportunity for everyone to learn more about the food they eat.”

To trace their food, shoppers look for produce with HarvestMark on the packaging and then visit www.HarvestMark.com to enter the unique sixteen-digit code. There’s even a HarvestMark iPhone app that makes it easy to trace produce right in the store. The HarvestMark solution provides “inside information” on everything from the harvest location to growing method, packing date to storage tips, special offers and recipes. In addition, shoppers are able to provide feedback through the website about the food they have purchased. In the unlikely event of a food recall, they can even check if the food in their fridge is affected using the 16-digit HarvestMark code.

“Kroger is proud to be the first national grocery chain to offer the HarvestMark traceability solutions to its customers, and we are delighted to be launching the program in our hometown of Cincinnati,” said Geoffrey Covert, Kroger Cincinnati/Dayton Division President. “We’re committed to helping our customers provide safe and delicious meals for their families, and HarvestMark makes it easy for customers to learn more about the food they buy.”

HarvestMark can be found on Fresh Selections by Kroger™, Private Selection by Kroger®, and other fresh fruit and vegetables at more than 2,500 grocery locations owned by Kroger nationwide, including approximately 100 locations throughout the greater Cincinnati area. It can also be found on organic chicken from Kroger’s Private Selection Organic® brand.

About HarvestMark
HarvestMark™ is the fresh food traceability solution from YottaMark, Inc., an independent company based in the San Francisco Bay Area that provides traceability for consumers, growers and retailers nationwide. From strawberries to grapes, tomatoes to greens and soon on meat and poultry, the HarvestMark traceability feature can be found on over 1.5 billion food packages. The HarvestMark solution was created by people who truly care about food. We help producers enhance product quality and freshness by providing rich insights across the supply chain. And we create new connections between growers, retailers and consumers to deliver access to information about their food they can’t get anywhere else. To learn more, please visit www.HarvestMark.com.

About Kroger
Kroger, the nation’s largest traditional grocery retailer, employs more than 334,000 associates who serve customers in 2,468 supermarkets and multi-department stores in 31 states under two dozen local banner names including Kroger, City Market, Dillons, Jay C, Food 4 Less, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, King Soopers, QFC, Ralphs and Smith’s. The Company also operates 784 convenience stores, 372 fine jewelry stores, 932 supermarket fuel centers and 40 food processing plants in the U.S. Kroger, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, focuses its charitable efforts on supporting hunger relief, health and wellness initiatives, and local organizations in the communities it serves. For more information about Kroger, please visit www.kroger.com.

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