Industry guide
QR codes for consumer packaged goods
On packaged goods the QR code resolves the pack-space war: mandatory declarations stay printed — EU food law does not let allergen or nutrition basics move online — while the code carries extended nutrition, sourcing, recycling and promotions. Increasingly it is a GS1 Digital Link code that also scans at the till.
The pack-space war
Every square centimetre of a pack is contested between branding, regulatory text and marketing. The QR code is the pressure valve — but only for content the law allows off the pack. Under the EU Food Information to Consumers regulation, the mandatory particulars — name, ingredient list, allergen emphasis, net quantity, dates, nutrition declaration — must appear on the label itself. No regulator accepts "scan for allergens". What the code legitimately absorbs is everything beyond the minimum:
| Moves behind the code | Stays printed |
|---|---|
| Extended nutrition and portion guidance | The nutrition declaration |
| Full sourcing and allergen detail | Ingredient list with allergens emphasised |
| Recycling instructions by locality | Any mandated disposal marks |
| Promotions, recipes, brand story | Name, quantity, dates |
This is the pattern the US industry formalised as SmartLabel: a standard on-pack code resolving to a structured product page, adopted precisely because pack space ran out.
One code, not three
The wrong answer is a promo QR here, a recycling QR there and an EAN at the bottom. GS1 Digital Link exists so a single code can serve the till, the shopper and the regulator — a URL structure carrying the GTIN, resolvable to different destinations per context. As retail scanners complete their 2D upgrade (see the grocery side of this story), brands migrating artwork should place one Digital Link code rather than accumulating single-purpose codes.
Placement survives the production line
Packaging faces conditions marketing mock-ups never see — see QR codes on product packaging for the full treatment. The load-bearing rules:
- Flat panel, not over a seam, gusset or crimp — a fold through a code is damage no error correction survives.
- On curved packs, keep the code small relative to the curve so it stays within a readable arc.
- Print floor 2 × 2 cm; shelf reality favours 2.5 cm and a short URL.
What goes wrong
- Artwork teams treating the code as a decoration and printing it at 12 mm in a corner that gets heat-sealed.
- Campaign URLs on packs with a two-year shelf life — the promotion dies, the pack keeps selling; codes must point at permanent URLs that redirect.
- A second QR added per campaign until packs carry three competing codes.
FAQ
Can nutrition or allergen information go only in a QR code?
No. EU and UK rules require the mandatory particulars — ingredients, allergen emphasis, nutrition declaration, dates — printed on the pack. The QR code supplements with depth: full sourcing, per-portion detail, and content that changes too often to print.
What is the advantage of GS1 Digital Link over a normal QR code?
One code serves every scanner: it carries the product's GTIN in a standard URL structure, so upgraded checkout scanners treat it like the barcode while a shopper's phone opens the product page. It replaces the growing pile of single-purpose codes on artwork.
Where should a QR code go on packaging?
On a flat printed panel, clear of seams, crimps and heat-seals, at 2 × 2 cm minimum. On cylindrical packs keep it small enough to sit flat within the visible arc. Proof it on the real substrate, not the PDF.
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Related
- QR codes for grocery stores — Shelf-edge, packaging and till QR codes for grocers — plus GS1's 2D sunrise, the programme bringing QR to the checkout scanner itself.
- QR codes for fashion and apparel — Care-label, styling and resale QR codes for fashion brands — fabric label size limits, authenticity for resale, and the EU Digital Product Passport.
- QR codes for manufacturing — Which QR codes manufacturing actually need, where to put them, what size, and what goes wrong.
- QR codes for ecommerce and direct-to-consumer brands — Which QR codes ecommerce and direct-to-consumer brands actually need, where to put them, what size, and what goes wrong.