The Bars codes They have articulated the logistics of large consumption businesses for decades. However, the pandemic was a first varapalo for this type of codes of a line, which gave way to the QR codes in restaurants and other establishments for health issues as an alternative to physical menus. This paradigm shift did not stay there, but has been accelerating in recent years with the growing need for information and agility that consumers have at points of sale.

The situation could now lead to a definitive imposition of the QR code on the barcode for the year 2027. It is the conclusion reached by the Association of Manufacturers and Distributors (AEOC) on the day “of the Bars Code to the QR code”. In this appointment, in addition to assessing the situation, there have been successful cases of companies that have already made the final migration to the 2D code in the product labeling.

“With an eye on the end of 2027, the industry works on the widespread adoption of QR codes, with the aim of improving customer experience and strengthening traceability throughout the value chain“, explained Elena Campdelacreu, GS1 Spain standards manager, on the day.”This transition will allow to offer immediate access to enriched data on the products, aligning with the growing market demands”

The GS1 organization, of which AEOC is its only representative, explains that change would generate benefits for consumers and companies. Both from the logistics point of view, and Sanitary, Informative and Productive.

Improvements in Food Safety

QR codes would reduce food wastebetter controlling the expiration dates of fresh products without resorting to labeling. In addition, when scanning a product with this code into cash, they could detect expiration or even associated food safety alerts.

On the other hand, these codes would make withdrawal only of the affected products and Not all the lot“thus avoiding innnecessary losses and optimizing logistics processes”, Said Campdelacreu.This transparency not only reinforces confidence in brands, but also improves consumer safety”

But the QR code would not only mean adding one more information layer to each article. As noted from GS1, the objective of the implementation would go through a single code that can end by integrating All kinds of functions, depending on the needs of the business and the sector in question.

That is, it would be a solution Personalized For the different challenges facing great consumption industries. “For manufacturers and retailers, this will represent a significant advance in terms of logistics efficiency, reduction of costs associated with labeling and better adaptation to the expectations of an increasingly digitized consumer”

Manufacturers that already bet on the QR code

Consumer information is consumer’s decision -making capacity. And the more the manufacturer provides, the greater the User trust Towards this. With QR codes, the consumer can scan a product to access all information of origin, traceability and even use tips. This is what the “Direct to the origin” project, of the Bonárea Agrifood Company.

“This advance allows consumers to access detailed information about the product, including their origin, process of elaboration, nutritional information and recipes“, says Isidre Argerich, responsible for the direct project to the origin of Bonàrea.”In the future, it will also serve to identify and collect products directly, eliminating the need for traditional barcodes”

Mercadona -That is positioned as a leading supermarket in Spain in the balance of the 2024 distribution of Kantar Worldpanel- is also adopting the QR code to the detriment of bars. With this, the Valencian supermarket chain also pursues a Greater information flow In a logistics plane.

At the application level, it would be allowing to expedite the work in cash and record data such as the weight of the product, the lot number or the aforementioned expiration date. As Raúl García, director of Coding in Mercadona explains, have been so successful that all their variable weight meat products have already incorporated it. “In addition, we are starting to extend its use to fresh fixed weight products“

On the other hand, there are brands that are adopting the QR code for a normative matter, such as the Baron Group In the wine sector. And others that do so to anticipate market trends such as Mahou In the beer industry. Rocío García-Lomas, Global Brand Manager stood out at the meeting “The ease to update the information continuously, the possibility of integrating multimedia content and the improvement in direct interaction with consumers”

Although from the AEOC they predict a predominance of the QR code by 2027, the truth is that they also warn that this will not imply disappearance of the barcode. “The coexistence of both systems will be key to a gradual and efficient transition, ensuring compatibility with current scan systems“Pere Rosell explained, CEO of GS1 Spain during his speech on the day.

For this reason, companies are not abandoning technologies and infrastructure already created to adopt totally different others. There is a job dual Focused on the development of systems that can read both codes of one dimension and two. “To achieve this objective will mean a decisive step towards a more agile, digitized and oriented retail ecosystem oriented to improve consumer experience“