GS1 Digital Link for Food and Beverage Brands

If you sell food or beverages, the Sunrise 2027 transition isn't just about new barcodes. It intersects with food safety traceability regulations that are already in effect. GS1 Digital Link QR codes solve both problems at once.

This guide covers what food and beverage brands specifically need to know.

The regulatory landscape

FSMA 204: The Food Traceability Rule

The FDA's Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Section 204 requires companies in the food supply chain to maintain detailed traceability records for certain foods. The rule was finalized in November 2022 and originally set to take effect in January 2026. The FDA proposed a 30-month delay in August 2025, and Congress locked in the new enforcement date of July 20, 2028 through legislation in November 2025.

What it requires:

• Key Data Elements (KDEs) must be recorded at each Critical Tracking Event (CTE) in the supply chain: harvesting, cooling, initial packing, receiving, transforming, creating, and shipping
• Foods on the Food Traceability List (FTL) are covered: certain cheeses (soft and semi-soft), shell eggs, nut butters, finfish, crustaceans, mollusks, ready-to-eat deli salads, fresh leafy greens, fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, cucumbers, herbs, melons, peppers, sprouts, tomatoes, and tropical tree fruits
• Each covered food must carry a traceability lot code that links to the required records

How GS1 Digital Link helps:

A GS1 Digital Link QR code can encode the GTIN plus batch/lot number directly in the URL:

https://id.example.com/01/09506000134376/10/LOT2026A

The /10/ segment is the GS1 Application Identifier for batch/lot number. This means the on-pack QR code carries both the product identity and the traceability reference that links to your FSMA 204 records.

EU Digital Product Passport

The European Union is rolling out Digital Product Passport (DPP) requirements, starting with batteries in 2027 and expanding to textiles and other product categories. Food is currently exempt from DPP requirements, but brands that export to the EU may still benefit from having sustainability data accessible via QR code -- consumer expectations around transparency are growing regardless of regulation. A GS1 Digital Link QR code provides a ready-made carrier for this data using the sustainability link type.

What food and beverage brands need on the QR code

At minimum, your GS1 Digital Link URI should encode:

A fully loaded URI for a food product might look like:

https://id.example.com/01/09506000134376/10/LOT2026A/15/261231

This single code identifies the product, the batch, and the expiration. A traditional barcode can only carry the first piece.

Link types that matter for food and beverage

When configuring your resolver link types, food and beverage brands should prioritize:

Traceability Information (gs1:traceability)

Links to batch-level traceability data. For FSMA 204, this should connect to your traceability records for the specific lot encoded in the QR code. This is the compliance-critical link.

Safety Information (gs1:safetyInfo)

Allergen information, ingredient lists, nutritional data. This is valuable for consumers with dietary restrictions and can also serve as a compliance reference for retailers.

Recipe Information (gs1:recipeInfo)

If you sell ingredients (olive oil, flour, spices, sauces), recipe links are a powerful consumer engagement tool. Consumers scanning a bottle of olive oil to learn more are primed to be inspired by a recipe.

Product Information Page (gs1:pip)

Your default link. For food products, this is typically a product page with description, ingredients, nutritional facts, sourcing information, and brand story. This is what consumers see when they scan without a specific request.

Sustainability Information (gs1:sustainabilityInfo)

Sourcing certifications (organic, fair trade, Rainforest Alliance), carbon footprint data, recyclability of packaging. Consumer interest in food sustainability is high and growing.

Packaging considerations specific to food

Food packaging presents unique printing challenges for QR codes. See our full printing guide, but here are food-specific notes:

Refrigerated and frozen products

• Condensation and frost can obscure QR codes
• Use error correction level Q (25% recovery) minimum
• Place the code where condensation is least likely to form
• Test scanning on a package that's been refrigerated for 24+ hours

Flexible pouches and bags

• Wrinkling and creasing can distort the code
• Place the code on the flattest panel
• Use a slightly larger size (25mm+) to compensate for surface irregularity

Glass bottles and jars

• Curved surfaces require careful placement
• Place the code on the flattest part of the label
• Test scanning across the curve

Cans

• The curved surface and reflective material are challenging
• Place the code on the label area, not bare metal
• Matte finish labels scan better than glossy

The consumer experience

When a consumer scans your food product's QR code, what should they see?

Good experiences:

• Product page with clear ingredients, allergens, and nutritional info
• "Where is this from?" traceability page showing origin and batch info
• Recipe suggestions using the product
• Reorder link or "find in a store near you"

Bad experiences:

• A generic brand homepage (feels like the scan was pointless)
• A broken link or error page
• A page that's not mobile-friendly (they scanned with a phone)
• Slow-loading pages (they're standing in a store aisle)

Make the default landing page mobile-optimized, fast-loading, and genuinely useful. If a consumer scans your product, finds useful information, and thinks "that was worth scanning," you've won.

Implementation checklist for food and beverage

1. Inventory your products on the FDA's Food Traceability List. Are any covered by FSMA 204? If yes, batch/lot encoding is a priority.

2. Ensure your GTINs are current. Each product variant (flavor, size, pack count) needs its own GTIN.

3. Set up a resolver. Configure link types with at minimum: Product Information Page (default), Traceability Information (for covered foods), and Safety Information (allergens).

4. Generate QR codes with batch encoding. For FSMA 204 covered foods, the QR code should include the /10/ batch/lot segment. This means generating per-batch codes, not one code per product.

5. Update your packaging at the next print run. During the transition, keep both the traditional barcode and the QR code on the package.

6. Test the full flow. Scan the code on a printed package, verify the resolver redirects correctly, check that the landing page is mobile-friendly and loads quickly.

SunriseQR currently supports GTIN-level QR codes with consumer-facing link types like product information, recipes, and safety data. Batch/lot-level encoding for full FSMA 204 traceability support is in development. Get in touch →

For the general transition overview, read Sunrise 2027: What Brands Need to Know. For the full timeline of regulatory and industry milestones, see Sunrise 2027 Timeline.