Food & beverage packaging
QR Codes on Food and Beverage Packaging
A food label has room for what the law requires and very little else. A QR code adds the rest: where the ingredients come from, detailed allergen information, recipes and pairing ideas, all of which you can update without changing the printed pack, and the scans show which products shoppers are curious about.
Free plan: 3 dynamic codes, no time limit. Pro types free for 14 days, no card.
Last 30 days · people only, bots filtered
Example data
What the code can do
One printed code, pointing wherever you choose. Change the destination later and every printed copy follows.
Product information page
Ingredients, nutrition, allergens, origin and certifications on one mobile page.
Product page QR code (Pro)GS1 Digital Link
A code that carries your GTIN for checkout and links shoppers to product information, ahead of retail's move to 2D barcodes.
GS1 product QR code (Pro)Analytics
What the scans tell you
Every scan of a dynamic code is counted, with link previews and bots filtered out, so the numbers are people.
Which products shoppers research
Scans per SKU show which products trigger questions, often allergens or sourcing.
In store or at home
Scan times (weekday afternoons vs evenings) hint at shelf-side research vs kitchen use.
Regional interest
Scans by state and city show where the product is bought and engaged with.
Batch and campaign codes
Separate codes per batch or limited edition let you see each one's response.
Reported for every code: scans over time, unique vs total, country, US state and city, iPhone vs Android, operating system, hour of day and day of week, with CSV export and a weekly email report.
Printing it so it scans
- Leave white space around the code; busy pack designs and patterned backgrounds are the most common reason food-pack codes fail.
- On curved bottles and cans, keep the code small enough to sit on a flat-ish area or orient it so the curve runs along one axis.
- Use dark ink on a light background; don't invert the code (light on dark) for older phones.
- Put one short line next to the code saying what scanning gets you. A bare code is scanned far less than one that says "Scan for setup video".
- Print one proof and scan it with an iPhone and an Android phone before the full run, in the lighting where it will be used.
The code adds to the label; it doesn't replace it
Required information (in the US, the Nutrition Facts panel, ingredient list and major allergen declaration) still has to be on the package. A QR code is for additional detail. In the US, one specific case where a scannable link is an allowed form of disclosure is the bioengineered food disclosure standard, which has its own wording requirements; check the current rules for your category.
Set it up
- Step 1
Decide what shoppers ask about
Sourcing, allergens, recipes. Lead with that on the page.
- Step 2
Create one code per product
So each product's interest can be compared.
- Step 3
Hand the file to your packaging printer
Download a high-resolution PNG, or SVG on Pro, and keep the quiet zone.
- Step 4
Update as recipes and suppliers change
The printed pack stays the same.
Frequently asked questions
Can a QR code replace the nutrition panel?
No. Required label information must stay printed on the pack; the QR code is for extra information.
What is GS1 Digital Link and do I need it?
It's a standard QR code format that carries your product's GTIN, so a retailer's scanner can read it at checkout while shoppers' phones open your product page. US retail is moving toward accepting 2D codes at the till by the end of 2027 (GS1's 'Sunrise 2027'); if you sell through retailers, it's worth planning for.
Can I change the information after printing?
Yes, with a dynamic code or a hosted product page, you edit the content and every printed pack shows the update.
QR codes on products and deliveries