Food Digital Labels Accelerate Rollout: New Variables for Packaging Coding and Smart Production Lines

On October 27, the Shandong Provincial Health Commission held a press conference, announcing the promotion and application of food digital labels across the province. Consumers will be able to scan the QR code on food packaging to see the ingredient list, nutritional information, and allergen warnings, and even access voice broadcasts and video explanations. From policy text to on-the-ground promotion, food digital labels are moving from an "optional item" to a "required question." Food digital labels did not appear out of thin air. The "National Food Safety Standard — General Rules for the Labeling of Prepackaged Foods" (GB 7718—2025), implemented this year, provides the standard basis for digital labels. Under the guidance of the National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment and the China Article Numbering Center, the China Association for Automatic Identification Technology has built and launched a nationally unified "Prepackaged Food Digital Label Platform," available for free to food manufacturers. Shandong's promotion this time defines three categories of digital label content: first, digital display of mandatory labeling items, including food name, ingredient list, net content, producer information, production date, shelf life, storage conditions, food production license number, nutrition facts table, allergen warnings, etc.; second, extended information, such as place of origin, production process, methods of consumption, nutrition education, and brand story; third, reading and interaction information, such as page zoom, voice broadcast, and video demonstration, making it easier for the elderly and visually impaired to access information. The promotion of digital labels is not an isolated event. Wang Xuan, Director of the Food Safety Standards, Monitoring and Assessment Division of the Shandong Provincial Health Commission, noted that regulators actively advocate "multiple codes in one," encouraging companies to integrate the digital label QR code with other QR codes on packaging, promoting effective linkage of digital information resources. This means that in the future, food packaging may no longer carry isolated traceability codes, marketing codes, and digital label codes, but rather an integrated entry point. For regulators, "multiple codes in one" helps quickly obtain product information and improve regulatory precision; for companies, label information can be updated online during the product sales period, "reducing packaging material waste and production delays caused by label revisions." From the consumer side, traditional physical labels are limited by layout and font size, and some content is too small to read. Digital labels support zoom, voice broadcast, and video explanations, "effectively improving the accessibility and readability of label information." Once this shortcoming is addressed, the penetration of digital labels is expected to accelerate. The implementation of digital labels will first impact the food packaging and coding segments. First, demand for coding equipment will expand. After companies register an account, bind the product barcode, and enter label information, a digital label QR code can be generated, but the QR code ultimately has to be printed on the packaging. Whether it is an inkjet printer, a laser coding machine, or the QR code printing module on a labeling machine, all must ensure the code system complies with national standards and that printing is clear and scannable. Second, "multiple codes in one" forces integration in the packaging segment. In the past, a single production line might successively apply traceability codes, marketing codes, promotion codes, and other labels; after "multiple codes in one," multiple functional codes need to be integrated in the same position, placing higher demands on the positioning accuracy of labeling equipment and on label design and layout capabilities. Third, online updates reduce the frequency of packaging material version changes. Companies can update label content online, meaning they no longer need to reprint an entire batch of packaging materials just to change one ingredient list. This is a long-term positive for flexible packaging and changeable labels, but in the short term it may also reduce the number of version changes for traditional packaging materials. From local promotion to the national unified platform being open free of charge, the policy framework for food digital labels is already clear. For food machinery companies, this is not a distant concept but a production line transformation demand that is happening now — coding equipment, labeling equipment, and inspection equipment will all face a round of upgrading.