Foodstuffs South Island is rolling out its facial recognition technology to a fourth supermarket in Christchurch.
The retail group says a trial conducted from October last year to January was designed to help identify and manage individuals with a history of serious or harmful behaviour in-store.
The trial reportedly resulted in 531 confirmed matches with individuals of interest, with the company stating there were no misidentifications or false positives recorded.
The three Christchurch stores involved in the trial—New World St Martins, Pak’nSave Papanui and Pak’nSave Moorhouse—will continue using the facial recognition system, while New World Stanmore is being added to the rollout.
Foodstuffs said store staff observed fewer repeat offenders returning to the trial locations and also reported a decline in incidents involving threatening or harmful behaviour.
Foodstuffs South Island said the trial results provided confidence that the technology could be deployed in a “careful and responsible” way, according to its head of retail, Kent Mahon.
“The focus has always been on reducing harm. The trial showed we can do that while keeping accuracy high and respecting customer privacy,” he said.
Foodstuffs says each store would undergo privacy, legal, and risk assessments before the system is introduced and that clear signage would be displayed to inform customers the technology is in use.
The company also said it will continue monitoring performance and maintain an updated list of stores using facial recognition on its website.