Which brands need 2D barcodes first

Updated July 2026

Brands face different timelines based on their retailers, product category, traceability needs, and artwork schedule. Use those facts to decide which SKUs move first.

Move now

• Fresh and short-shelf-life food. Expiry and lot data in the code drives markdown automation and waste reduction. That operational case does not depend on the Sunrise 2027 target.
• Anything covered by FSMA 204. Enforcement lands July 20, 2028. Lot-level traceability data has to exist and be retrievable; building it into the code now avoids doing the work twice.
• EU-facing textiles, footwear, furniture, tyres. The Digital Product Passport regime is arriving, with textile rules expected in 2027 and application following. Products designed now will still be selling then.
• Brands whose retailers have already published 2D requirements. A retailer's supplier requirement is enforceable in a way an industry target is not.

Plan with the next artwork cycle

• Shelf-stable grocery and household goods. Real pressure, long runway. Fold the change into your next scheduled artwork revision.
• Health and beauty. Consumer interest in ingredient transparency makes the consumer-page side of this worth doing well rather than fast.

Watch and wait

• Products that never cross a retail POS: food service, B2B industrial supply, and direct-to-consumer products. The POS argument does not apply. Traceability may still, on its own merits.
• Very small or awkward packages. Where the minimum symbol size does not fit, wait for guidance rather than printing something that will not scan.

A useful first check for every category

Validate the GTIN data before choosing artwork or resolver options. The same catalog problems affect every path described above, and they can be corrected without changing packaging.