Foodstuffs facial recognition trial misidentifies nine shoppers, two wrongly removed
An independent assessment of a six-month facial recognition trial in 25 New Zealand supermarkets found nine shoppers were misidentified by the system, and two were asked to leave stores as a result. One victim, Te-Ani Solomon, is pursuing a case at the Human Rights Review Tribunal alleging the technology was discriminatory.
What happened
Foodstuffs North Island conducted a six-month facial recognition trial in 25 New World and Pak'nSave stores from February 2024. Independent analytics firm Scarlatti found that nine shoppers were misidentified by the system, and in two cases the wrongly identified persons were asked to leave the store.
Te-Ani Solomon was misidentified and wrongly removed from a New World store in Rotorua in April 2024. She is pursuing a case at the Human Rights Review Tribunal claiming the technology was discriminatory.
Reported impact
Solomon said she felt powerless when staff approached her in front of her 13-year-old son, and she had to justify that she was not a thief. She said her son still does not fully understand what happened that night.
Solomon stated that 100 preventions for nine shoppers misidentified represented a high rate of harm, describing the results as "no success" for those affected.
Index analysis
The independent assessment found that all nine misidentification instances were attributable to human error in how staff verified and approached flagged individuals. Scarlatti concluded the misidentifications were outweighed by the benefits of the system, which prevented approximately 100 serious harm events including assaults, abuse and disorderly conduct.
Governance controls
Foodstuffs stated it had apologised to misidentified shoppers as soon as possible. The company said it implemented further training and changed verification processes as a result of the misidentifications.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.