Insight: Put 2D barcode readiness into your food packaging brief
Cosmo Food EU EditorialInsight โ undated source. Italian Food News describes the move towards GS1-compliant 2D codes that can carry product identifiers and additional batch or date information, or connect to online content. It explains the industry's end-2027 checkout-readiness goal as support for both linear and newer 2D codes. The transition does not mean every existing barcode must disappear in 2027, and adoption can differ between retailers and markets.
Cosmo Food EU buyer perspective
For a private-label chocolate, snack or chilled-food project, start with the destination retailer's actual requirements. Agree which product identifier is needed, whether variable batch or date data will be encoded and who owns the linked digital content. A marketing QR code and a code accepted by checkout systems serve different purposes; artwork approval should make that distinction clear.
Ask the selected manufacturer and packaging supplier to test a production sample on the intended material. Include scanning checks after normal handling, and confirm that the information matches the printed pack and product specification. Where a website is linked, assign responsibility for keeping its content accurate and available.
Build these checks into the project timetable before committing to a large packaging order. Establish how updates will be controlled across languages, markets and pack versions. This preparation can reduce avoidable rework while preserving compatibility with the customer's current systems; it does not replace mandatory on-pack information or retailer acceptance checks.
Source: Italian Food News โ From barcodes to 2D codes: what will change for food producers and the supply chain by 2027. Publication date not provided.