Syracuse University has added QR codes, or barcodes that can be scanned with a smartphone, to food items in its dining halls to give nutritional information.

In collaboration with the Student Association and SU Food Services, the codes were put in place earlier this semester. The QR codes on each entree label were created to give students a better understanding of what they are putting into their bodies on a daily basis.

While all students can benefit from the new food labels, certain students who are particularly health conscious or have food allergies may find these QR codes especially helpful. Signs in the dining center also have a QR code that shows the menu for the entire day.

To use the QR code, students must download a free QR code reader app on their smartphone, and then scan the code for a particular entree to display the nutritional information. The code then links directly to the nutritional information that is available on the food services website.

The code allows students to instantly and conveniently access nutritional information from their smartphone without having to navigate through the website, said Keone Weigl, marketing director of food services, and Ruth Sullivan, the registered dietitian for food services, in an email.

Stephanie Haber, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, created the concept of the QR codes, according to a video on SU News.

Tara Lanigan, a freshman in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, said that she finds the codes helpful and uses the codes “because I am allergic to dairy and it’s saved me from eating dairy in the dining halls.”

While some students were unaware of the added codes on the entree labels, once they were educated about these latest dining hall additions, they were eager to start scanning at their next meal.

“I think it’s a really cool idea, especially for kids who want to keep track of what they are eating,” said Cameron Lynn, a junior sport management major.

Josh Knafo, a junior in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, who was unfamiliar with the codes at first said he thinks the barcodes are a great idea, especially for students trying to find out the calorie and nutritional value in their food.

The nutritional information also tells students which of the Big 8 allergens — fish, crustacean shellfish, milk, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts and tree nuts — may be in the food, Weigl and Sullivan said.

Adding these QR codes to dining hall entree items aims to hopefully increase students’ awareness of caloric intake at each meal.

“Nutritional information has been on the food services website for several years and we always encourage students to look at it to help plan their meals,” said Weigl and Sullivan. “This is another way for our customers to be conscientious about what they eat if they choose to use it.”

Published on February 16, 2015 at 12:01 am

Contact Sarah: sbrichhe@syr.edu