QR Codes Will Join Barcodes on Grocery Packaging Under GS1 Sunrise 2027
Trill News Briefing
The Story
QR codes will join the UPC barcode on grocery packaging as retailers get ready to scan 2D codes at checkout by 2027 under the GS1 US Sunrise 2027 initiative.
The UPC first rang up a ten pack of Wrigley's chewing gum at a Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio, on June 26, 1974, and now identifies more than 1 billion products scanned over 10 billion times a day.
A UPC tells the register what an item is, while a 2D code can also carry batch and lot numbers, serial numbers and expiration dates.
Procter & Gamble, L'Oréal and Nestlé are among 20 large companies that signed a global statement backing the new codes, and Wegmans says it is already testing its systems.
Topco Associates says the richer records can help grocers keep the files the FDA traceability rule demands for certain foods, while Publix is urging brands to follow barcode placement standards.
A GS1 US survey found 79 percent of shoppers are more likely to buy products carrying a scannable code that gives them the information they want.
The UPC is not going away, but brands that print nothing else will be leaving their most useful data off the package.
The UPC first rang up a ten pack of Wrigley's chewing gum at a Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio, on June 26, 1974, and now identifies more than 1 billion products scanned over 10 billion times a day.
A UPC tells the register what an item is, while a 2D code can also carry batch and lot numbers, serial numbers and expiration dates.
Procter & Gamble, L'Oréal and Nestlé are among 20 large companies that signed a global statement backing the new codes, and Wegmans says it is already testing its systems.
Topco Associates says the richer records can help grocers keep the files the FDA traceability rule demands for certain foods, while Publix is urging brands to follow barcode placement standards.
A GS1 US survey found 79 percent of shoppers are more likely to buy products carrying a scannable code that gives them the information they want.
The UPC is not going away, but brands that print nothing else will be leaving their most useful data off the package.
Why It Matters
The push now runs through food safety. In a September GS1 US survey, 94 percent of U.S. adults said they worry about how often food recalls happen, and 67 percent had avoided a whole product category after one; lot numbers in a 2D code could narrow a recall to the affected batch. Warehouses offer the clearest payoff, where GS1 US research from May put the first scan failure rate for 1D barcodes at 7 percent. The relabeling bill lands hardest on smaller suppliers without that scale. Checkouts are due to read the new codes by the end of 2027, and the FDA traceability rule takes effect July 20, 2028.
Go Deeper
Read the original reporting at GS1 US via PR Newswire.
Read Full Story at GS1 US via PR Newswire →