Sunrise 2027: the barcode change that is really a product data problem

If you sell into UK retail and your packaging artwork is not already under review, you are already late. GS1 Sunrise 2027 sets October 2027 as the target by which retail point-of-sale systems across the UK will be capable of scanning 2D barcodes, codes that carry far more than a product number. Tesco, Ocado, and Morrisons have already enabled QR scanning at checkout. The shelf-life on your current EAN-13 as the only code on your packaging is measured in months, not years.

But here is what most of the coverage misses: the label change is the visible part. The harder problem is the data underneath it.

What GS1 Sunrise 2027 actually requires

GS1, the global non-profit body that sets product identification standards and the organisation behind your current barcode, is driving a global transition from one-dimensional barcodes to two-dimensional codes. In the UK, the deadline is October 2027, which also happens to be the go-live date for the UK Deposit Return Scheme. Two major label changes, same products, same month.

The technical formats are GS1 DataMatrix and the GS1 Digital Link QR code. A 2D DataMatrix or GS1 QR code can store up to 7,000 characters in a symbol smaller than a postage stamp. Your current EAN-13 stores 13 digits. That is not a modest upgrade.

A GS1-compliant 2D code can encode your GTIN (the product identifier already in your barcode), plus batch number, expiry date, serial number, and a URL linking to a live product data page, all in a single symbol. That URL is the GS1 Digital Link: a structured web address that connects the physical product to a resolver, the system that serves up the right information depending on who is scanning. A retailer's POS system reads the GTIN. A shopper's phone opens a product page. A warehouse system extracts the batch number. Same scan, different context, different output.

It is worth being clear about what the October 2027 date does and does not require. Retailers commit on that date to being capable of scanning 2D barcodes at POS. There is no statutory mandate requiring that every product on every shelf carries a 2D barcode from that date. However, the practical expectation is that new packaging produced in 2025 and 2026 should carry a GS1 Digital Link QR code. Given that a full packaging transition typically takes 18 to 24 months from planning to rollout, brands that have not already begun are working against a tight operational window.

Why the label is the easy part

A new barcode requires a new label. A new label requires updated artwork, a print spec, a label supplier capable of generating compliant codes, and in many cases co-manufacturer coordination if you do not run your own production line. That is real work, but it is manageable work.

The harder problem is what the 2D code has to point to.

GS1 Sunrise only delivers value if the data it links to is accurate, structured, and live. That means:

• Nutritional data that matches what is currently on pack and what your spec sheet says
• Allergen information that is structured in a machine-readable format, not buried in a PDF — GS1 UK's allergen data management report, produced with the FSA, identifies unstructured allergen data as one of the most persistent and consequential data quality problems across the UK supply chain
• Batch and lot codes that are actually encoded at print time, not hand-written in a log somewhere
• Expiry dates in a standard format that POS systems and traceability tools can parse
• A resolver that serves verified, current data when the code is scanned

Most UK food brands, particularly SMEs, do not have this infrastructure. What they have is a combination of spec sheets in Word documents, nutritional data in spreadsheets, allergen declarations in PDFs, and product information that has accumulated across formats over multiple product generations. Nobody set out to build a data silo. It just happened.

GS1 Sunrise makes that silo visible. When a retailer scans your QR code and the resolver returns stale nutritional data, or the allergen information does not match the label, or the batch number encoding is wrong, the issue is not the barcode. It is the data management behind it.

What retailers are starting to ask for

UK retailers are not waiting for 2027 to raise the bar on product data quality. Tesco has been trialling GS1 QR codes on selected meat and produce lines. Morrisons and Ocado have QR scanning enabled at checkout. The direction is clear, and brands caught unprepared risk delays in retailer onboarding or, in the worst case, exclusion from ranging conversations.

Retailer data requirements have been moving in one direction for several years. What used to be a spec sheet and a photograph is now a structured data submission, with specific fields, specific formats, and validation rules. Sunrise 2027 accelerates this. The 2D code is the mechanism; the structured product data it requires is the standard retailers will expect you to meet.

For brands with variable data products, products carrying batch numbers, expiry dates, use-by dates, or lot codes, the case for acting now is particularly strong. These products benefit most from dynamic 2D codes, and they are the ones retailers will target earliest with requirements for encoded traceability data.

The product data problem underneath the label

If you are an NPD or technical lead at an SME food brand, consider what it would take today to populate a GS1 Digital Link resolver with accurate, live product information for every SKU in your range.

For most teams, that means answering questions like: Where is the canonical version of this product's nutritional data? Is it the spec sheet, the label proof, or the entry in our retailer portal? When we reformulated the recipe last year, did every version of the data get updated? If a retailer scans our QR code six months from now, will they see the correct allergen declaration?

These questions are uncomfortable because the answer is often "we would have to check." And the checking takes time that is not available in the middle of a recall, a retailer audit, or a listing conversation.

GS1 Sunrise does not create this problem. It makes an existing problem harder to ignore, because it creates a direct, scannable, machine-readable link from your product on a shelf to the data you hold about it. The gap between what the label says and what your data says becomes visible in real time.

What to do before the artwork change

The label change is time-bound and visible. The data work is less visible but more fundamental, and it is where most brands should start.

Before briefing artwork, work through this:

Audit your product data by SKU. For each product in your range, identify where the authoritative version of every key data field lives: nutritional data, allergen declaration, ingredient list, batch and lot structure, use-by format. If there is more than one place, you have a data quality problem that a new barcode will not fix.

Decide whether you need a static or dynamic 2D code. A static code encodes only your GTIN, the same symbol on every label in a run. A dynamic code encodes variable data including batch and expiry, changes per production run, and links to a live resolver. If any of your products carry expiry or batch data, the case for dynamic is strong. Note that food and feed products are explicitly excluded from the EU's Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) and its Digital Product Passport requirements, so that particular obligation does not apply here. The case for dynamic is still strong on its own terms: once your resolver infrastructure is in place, it costs very little to encode more data, and the operational benefit of having batch and expiry readable at every point in the chain compounds quickly.

Think about the resolver before you think about the QR code. The resolver is the system that receives the scan and serves the right information. This decision sits upstream of artwork. If you do not have a resolver in place, the QR code on your label is pointing at nothing.

Coordinate across your production relationships. If you use co-manufacturers or contract packaging, Sunrise compliance is not just your project; it is a shared one. Artwork changes, code generation, and resolver setup need to be coordinated across every site that produces your product. This coordination is where most of the 18-to-24-month lead time actually lives.

What this means if your product data is not in good shape

GS1 Sunrise 2027 is, in practice, a forcing function for product data hygiene. The brands that will handle the transition most smoothly are not necessarily the ones with the most technical capability. They are the ones who already know where their product information lives, who is responsible for keeping it accurate, and what the process is when something changes.

If that is not you yet, the window to fix it before October 2027 is narrowing. Artwork freeze deadlines for products going to market in late 2026 are being cited as Q2 2026 by label suppliers. If your packaging has not been designed for a 2D code and your product data is not in a state where it can power one, both problems need to be in progress now.

The barcode changing is the industry event. The product data is the work.

Frequently asked questions

What is GS1 Sunrise 2027?

GS1 Sunrise 2027 is an industry-led global initiative, coordinated by GS1, to transition retail point-of-sale systems from one-dimensional barcodes (EAN-13, UPC) to two-dimensional barcodes capable of storing far richer product data. The UK target date is October 2027. It is not a statutory mandate, but retailer adoption is already underway and the practical expectation for new packaging is that it should carry a GS1-compliant 2D code.

Do brands have to change their barcodes before 2027?

There is no statutory requirement for brand owners to have switched all packaging to 2D barcodes by October 2027. The commitment on that date is made by retailers, to have POS systems capable of scanning 2D codes. However, given that packaging transitions typically take 18 to 24 months from planning to rollout, most brands targeting late 2026 or 2027 product launches need to have started already.

What is a GS1 Digital Link?

A GS1 Digital Link is a structured URL embedded in a 2D barcode that connects a product to its digital information. When scanned by a retailer's POS system, it returns the GTIN for checkout. When scanned by a consumer's smartphone, it opens a product page. When scanned by a warehouse or traceability system, it extracts batch numbers and expiry dates. The same scan serves different purposes depending on context.

What product data does GS1 Sunrise require?

A GS1-compliant 2D code can encode the GTIN, batch or lot number, expiry or use-by date, serial number, and a URL pointing to a live product data page. The data that page serves, including nutritional information, allergen declarations, sustainability credentials, and provenance, is determined by the brand, but it needs to be accurate, structured, and current. Poor or incomplete data sitting behind a compliant barcode still creates a compliance and credibility problem.

What is the UK Deposit Return Scheme connection?

The UK Deposit Return Scheme goes live in October 2027, the same month as the GS1 Sunrise target date. Drinks manufacturers in scope for DRS need to add the Exchange for Change logo and a DRS machine-readable identifier to their labels at the same time as adding a GS1 2D code. For many products this means a complete label redesign, not a minor amendment.