QR Codes on Packaging: What Tesco’s move really means for UK manufacturers

By Tom Smith, Managing Director, Advanced Dynamics

I was in a supermarket recently — not on a formal visit, just picking something up for a family BBQ — and I noticed something that made me stop for a second.

A pack of sausages. No barcode. Just a QR code.

Now, from a consumer point of view, that might seem like a small change. You scan it at the till, job done. But for anyone involved in packaging, production or labelling, that kind of shift is anything but small.

Because what Tesco are trialling here — and what GS1 are pushing globally — isn’t just a new type of code. It’s a fundamentally different way of thinking about what a product label is supposed to do.

From “identify the product” to “tell the whole story”

Traditional barcodes have done their job well for decades. They identify a product. That’s it. A number, scanned at checkout, tied to a database.

The problem is that’s no longer enough. Modern supply chains want more. Retailers want more. And increasingly, consumers expect more product transparency too.

What’s interesting about these QR codes is that they aren’t just identifiers. They’re containers for information.

As part of a single code, they can include:

• the product identifier (the old GTIN)
• batch information
• expiry dates
• potentially additional traceability data

…all embedded in a format that both machines and smartphones can read. At the same time, the same code can link to a live digital experience — product pages, sourcing information, allergen details, whatever the retailer or manufacturer wants to surface. That’s a big shift.

For the first time, the label isn’t just a label. It’s a live interface.

What I’ve been seeing on site

I was on a drinks site not long ago where we were discussing DRS labelling changes — another example of labelling becoming more structured, more controlled, more important.

What became clear during that conversation is that most packaging operations are still built around the idea that a label is a fixed thing. You print it. You apply it. It does its job.

But when you introduce QR‑based systems like this, the expectations change.

Suddenly:

• placement matters more
• print quality matters more
• repeatability matters more
• integration between labelling and data becomes critical

Because now, you’re not just applying a visual asset — you’re applying something that has to work, every single time, across multiple systems.

And that’s where the conversation becomes less about innovation and more about operational reality.

The challenge nobody talks about

On paper, QR codes are simple. Easy to generate. Easy to print. Easy to scan.

In practice, at production speeds, they are far less forgiving than people think.

I’ve seen labellers that can comfortably apply traditional labels all day long, but when you tighten tolerances — when codes need to be scannable in every orientation, under every lighting condition, at every speed — small inconsistencies start to matter.

• Slight label misalignment
• Print variation
• Surface inconsistencies on containers
• Movement in the line

These things were always there. But traditional barcodes tolerated them more easily. QR‑driven packaging systems don’t. The technology isn’t the challenge. Consistency is.

Why this matters more than it seems

What Tesco are trialling is part of a much wider shift. GS1 are actively encouraging a move toward what they call “2D barcodes” globally.

That means over time, more retailers, more sectors, and more supply chains will start expecting this kind of functionality. And when that happens, manufacturers won’t just be asked: “Can you label this product?” They’ll be asked: “Can you guarantee this code works, every time, across every channel we care about?” And that’s a very different question.

And it moves labelling away from being a finishing step, into being a control point in the supply chain.

It also changes how flexible packaging can be

There’s another angle to this that I think is worth thinking about.

For years, manufacturers have valued flexibility in labelling — swapping SKUs, short runs, promotional labels, adjustments on the fly.

QR codes open up a lot of opportunities… but they also introduce more structure.

If codes are carrying dynamic information — batch, expiry, traceability — then:

• data accuracy becomes critical
• integration with upstream systems becomes essential
• manual intervention becomes a risk

That doesn’t mean flexibility disappears. But it does mean it has to be engineered, not improvised.

Where this could go next

If this takes hold, it changes more than just the label.

It enables things like:

• end‑to‑end traceability at unit level
• real‑time consumer engagement through packaging
• smarter inventory and expiry tracking
• better recall management

Even simple use cases — like scanning your groceries at home and knowing when they expire — suddenly become possible without manual input.

And once that kind of functionality exists, expectations tend to follow.

What UK food & drink manufacturers should be thinking about now

This isn’t something that needs immediate, large‑scale change for every business. But it is something worth thinking about early.

From what I’m seeing, the key questions aren’t: “Do we need QR codes tomorrow?”

They’re:

• How consistent is our current labelling process, really?
• Can we guarantee placement and print quality at speed?
• How well integrated is our labelling with our data?
• How dependent are we on manual intervention today?

Because if QR‑led labelling becomes standard — and it’s clearly heading that way — those strengths, or weaknesses, will become very visible very quickly.

Packaging innovation rarely arrives in a big, obvious moment.

It creeps in. A small change here. A new requirement there. A regulation change. A retailer trials something that quietly becomes standard over time. This feels like one of those moments.

QR codes won’t transform everything overnight. But they do signal a shift — from static packaging to something more connected, more data‑driven, and more demanding underneath the surface.

For manufacturers, the opportunity isn’t just to adopt the technology.

It’s to make sure the process behind it is strong enough to support what’s coming next.

Because in the end, the success of any packaging innovation isn’t decided at the checkout. It’s decided on the production line.