Edible QR Codes Promote Sustainable Sushi

California-based sushi restaurant Harney Sushi has introduced edible QR codes to its sushi dishes in an effort to make its supply chain more transparent to diners. 

Printed on rice paper using waster-based ink, the QR codes can be scanned with smartphones to reveal where the fish was caught, current ocean stocks, and videos of the fishermen responsible for the catch. 

The initiative follows the release of a recent report that concludes 52% of seafood in southern California is mislabelled. In addition, overfishing is an ongoing serious concern in the seafood industry, with many fish species being depleted as a result of irresponsible fishing. 

Read more about overfishing – and smart measures being taken to counter the effects of this phenomenon through tracking, mapping and engineering – in Social Seafood and Feisty Hybrid Fish. For further research in oceanic food sources, see Unlocking Algae and Super Seaweed. 

Harney Sushi