BarcodePlus, the information portal, acts as 'a window to product quality and safety', and can be publicly accessed for critical product quality-related information by simply entering the barcode number printed on a product.

The information portal will cover everything from a product's shelf life, country of origin, ingredients and packaging, through to images, certifications and testing reports.

GS1 Hong Kong is local chapter of GS1, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the design and implementation of global standards and solutions to improve the efficiency and visibility in supply chains.

Raised product safety concerns

In Hong Kong, recent incidents such as melamine-contaminated milk and the current children's cold medicine scare have raised product safety concerns among consumers to an even higher level. With frequent product recalls and increasing cases of counterfeit goods, the public is becoming desperate for readily available and accurate information on product quality.