New Zealand exporters will move to next-generation product labelling after Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Regulation David Seymour accepted recommendations for digital labelling that will see processors adopt GS1 digital links — '2D' QR-style barcodes — with a two-year window to comply.

GS1 New Zealand chief executive Dr Peter Stevens called it a win for consumers, who get more information than a physical label can hold; for businesses, which can connect with customers through that data; and for regulators, who can balance information needs against limited and contested packaging space. The minister has created a framework for compliance rather than a law: digital labelling becomes the default, and companies that do not adopt it must show good reason. What goes on or off the label is not prescribed, which Dr Stevens called appropriate flexibility — though contentious fields such as country-of-origin, currently debated for pork, may need to be included for some foods.

Adoption has been slower than overseas, said Adrian Simmons, managing director of labelling company Total Brand Security — 'like pushing an elephant up a hill' — but supermarkets will drive it. Woolworths and selected suppliers in Australia already use 2D barcodes to GS1 standards, encoding the trade item number, batch, best-before date, net weight and price; the retailer gained food-safety benefits and cut food waste by up to 40% by spotting perishables near expiry and discounting them sooner.

The change also lines up with the European Union's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, in force since last month: the same codes can carry data on the packaging used and its recyclability.

New Zealand's data labelling has been relatively simple so far, Dr Stevens said, but some of its most prominent exporters already present product data differently by market, and the announcement gives processors confidence to invest.

Source: Farmers Weekly NZ