GS1 Sunrise 2027: what food manufacturers need to know about 2D barcodes

What is GS1 Sunrise 2027?

GS1 Sunrise 2027 is the industry goal that retail checkout systems can scan 2D barcodes by the end of 2027. A 2D barcode can hold far more than a UPC. A UPC carries only the product's GTIN. A 2D code can carry the GTIN plus the lot, best-before date, serial number, and a web address.

The goal is set by GS1, the standards body behind the UPC. At the checkout, the minimum is that a scanner reads the GTIN from a 2D code the same way it reads a UPC today. Reading lot and expiry data at the till is recommended, not required.

Is Sunrise 2027 mandatory?

No. Sunrise 2027 is not a law, and no regulator enforces it. There are no fines. The UPC is not being retired, and most products will carry both a UPC and a 2D code for several years. GS1 calls this dual marking.

What makes it real is the retailer. Once a retailer's checkouts can read 2D codes, it can ask suppliers to add them, usually through a supplier letter or a packaging specification. Plan for that letter rather than for a legal deadline.

Sunrise 2027 in Canada: Ambition 2027

GS1 Canada runs the same transition and calls it Ambition 2027 (Lever 2027 in French). Its retail 2D FAQ makes three points that matter to Canadian manufacturers:

• Adopting 2D barcodes is optional for brand owners.
• Retailers cannot require you to encode expiry or other data in the code. That is your decision.
• The GTIN in a 2D code is always written as 14 digits, so a 12-digit UPC is padded with leading zeros.

CFIA's Safe Food for Canadians Regulations require you to trace food one step back and one step forward, and to label products with a lot code. They do not require a 2D barcode. As of October 2026, we have not found published 2D supplier deadlines from the major Canadian grocers.

The three approved 2D barcodes

GS1 approves three 2D carriers for retail checkout:

For most food brands, the QR code with GS1 Digital Link is the practical choice. Shoppers already scan QR codes, and one code serves the checkout, the warehouse, and the consumer.

How GS1 Digital Link works

A GS1 Digital Link is an ordinary web address with GS1 identifiers in the path. Each number in front of a value is a GS1 Application Identifier: 01 for the GTIN, 10 for the lot, and 17 for the expiry date.

https://id.example.com/01/00012345678905/10/LOT2417/17/271231

The checkout scanner reads the GTIN and rings up the sale, exactly like a UPC. A phone opens the web address. A service called a resolver decides where that address goes: a product page, the allergen information, recycling instructions, or a recall notice.

Because the address includes the lot, the resolver can answer for that specific lot. Two packs of the same product from different runs can lead to different pages. That is how a 2D code can tell a shopper that the pack in their hand is affected by a recall while the pack next to it is not.

Static codes versus codes printed on the line

There are two ways to put a 2D code on a package.

A static code carries only the GTIN. It is the same on every unit, so it can be printed into the packaging artwork. It makes the product scannable at checkout and can link to a product page. It cannot say anything about a specific lot.

A line-printed code carries the GTIN plus the lot and best-before date. The data changes with every production run, so the code has to be printed at the time of production by a label printer, a thermal transfer printer, or an inkjet coder.

Line-printed codes are where the value is: lot-level recalls, expiry checks at the till, and stock rotation. They are also where the work is. The lot and date in the code must match your production record exactly. If the operator types them into the printer by hand, the barcode only makes a wrong lot code easier to scan.

That makes Sunrise 2027 a data problem as much as a packaging problem. The code is only as good as the lot records behind it.

What it means for traceability and recalls

FSMA 204. The FDA Food Traceability Rule covers foods on the Food Traceability List. FDA will not enforce it before July 20, 2028. The rule does not require a barcode, but it does require a traceability lot code on records you share with your customers. A 2D code carrying the GTIN and lot gives them a fast and consistent way to capture it. That matters for Canadian manufacturers who export to the United States.

Recalls. When the lot is in the code, a recall can target the affected lots instead of every pack of the product. Retailers with 2D-capable checkouts can block the sale of a recalled lot at the till. Shoppers who scan the code can see the notice for their lot.

Lot-level recalls only work if you can find the affected lots quickly. Read what a recall actually tests for more on that side of the problem.

Co-packers: whose code is it?

If you pack for other brands, the GTIN in the code belongs to the brand owner, not to you. The brand owner also decides where the Digital Link goes. Your job is usually to print the right lot and date into the brand's code on your line.

Agree on these in writing with each customer:

• Which GTINs, carriers, and data the code must carry.
• The lot code format and the date format.
• Who hosts the resolver and who keeps the product pages current.
• How codes are verified before product ships.

A Sunrise 2027 readiness checklist for food plants

1. Confirm your GTINs. Every retail item needs a GTIN from your GS1 Company Prefix. Store each one as a 14-digit value.
2. Ask your retailers. Find out which retailers plan to ask for 2D codes, when, and what data they want in them.
3. Choose static or line-printed. Start static if you need to, but plan for lot and best-before if your retailers or your recall plan call for it.
4. Clean up lot and date data. Every production run needs one consistent lot code and best-before date in a system, not on a clipboard.
5. Check your printers. Confirm your label printers or coders can print a variable 2D code at line speed, at a size scanners can read. See hardware integration.
6. Connect printing to production records. The printer should get the lot and date from the production record, not from an operator typing them in.
7. Decide where scans go. Choose a resolver and set a default page for each product, plus pages for allergens, recalls, or anything else you want shoppers to see.
8. Verify codes. Test print quality and scan results before a new label goes into production.
9. Keep the UPC. Plan artwork for both codes during the transition.