# 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.

Source: https://useqr.app/qr-codes-for/consumer-packaged-goods · Last reviewed 2026-08-21 · UseQR is free forever, MIT licensed, no signup.

---

## 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](/docs/ecommerce/qr-code-for-nutrition-information) and portion guidance | The nutrition declaration |
| [Full sourcing and allergen detail](/docs/ecommerce/qr-code-for-ingredients-and-allergens) | Ingredient list with allergens emphasised |
| [Recycling instructions by locality](/docs/ecommerce/qr-code-for-sustainability-and-recycling-info) | 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](/docs/ecommerce/gs1-digital-link-for-retail) 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](/qr-codes-for/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](/docs/ecommerce/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](/docs/print/qr-codes-on-cylindrical-packaging), 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.

## Try it

- https://useqr.app/url
- https://useqr.app/coupon
- https://useqr.app/social