Digimarc Corp., Beaverton, Ore., announced plans to collaborate with Walmart, Bentonville, Ark., to improve the management of packaged fresh foods.

"We are working closely with Digimarc to innovate and apply new technologies that will aim to reduce waste, help improve our overall store operations and improve customer experience," says John Crecelius, senior vice president of central operations at Walmart. "As we apply this new technology to our fresh processes, our goal is to realize new customer benefits while accelerating our commitment to reduce waste."

The scope of the companies' work together on improving efficiency and accuracy of checkout has been expanded through technology development and business process engineering to include waste reduction by automating many aspects of packaged fresh food inventory management. The Digimarc Barcode for Fresh Product Labels makes scanning more reliable, simplifies operations and improves inventory accuracy.

"This program coalesces efforts to benefit society with Walmart's dedication to everyday low prices," says Bruce Davis, chief executive officer of Digimarc. "We look forward to helping Walmart reduce food waste and save money for consumers through the use of this program."