Globally recognised barcodes for your food products and packaging
GS1 standards and barcodes are trusted across the food industry to uniquely identify products and support safe, compliant trading at every stage of the supply chain.
From supermarkets and wholesalers to online grocery platforms, GS1 standards ensure food products are accurately scanned, traceable and recognised globally.
Whether you’re looking to label individual items, multipacks, or outer cases, GS1 Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs) and barcodes enable reliable stock management, clear product data and improved visibility of batch and date information.
Joining GS1 UK gives food businesses official identifiers, expert guidance and a solid foundation for growth in an increasingly regulated and data-driven market.
Get a barcode for your food products in three simple steps
Sign up
Activate your membership
Log in to My GS1 & start selling
Benefits of barcodes in the food industry
Accurate product identification
Uniquely identify every food product by item, variant, pack size and format. Ensuring consistent and reliable product data across retailers, wholesalers, and internal systems, while preventing duplication, mislabelling and confusion throughout the food supply chain.
Faster checkout and stock handling
Enable quick, accurate scanning at point of sale, in stockrooms, and distribution centres, reducing manual processes, minimising errors and supporting smoother operations in both retail and service environments.
Smarter stock control
Maintain clear, up-to-date visibility of food products as they move through stores, storage locations, and distribution points, enabling better planning, more responsive ordering and tighter control over availability.
Reduced waste and fewer errors
Improve the accuracy of product information shared with trading partners to help prevent incorrect listings, picking mistakes, and distribution issues that can lead to food waste, withdrawals or customer complaints.
Enhanced traceability and compliance
Support batch tracking, date management, recalls and regulatory compliance by maintaining clear, standardised identification of food products throughout their lifecycle, from production and distribution to sale and consumption.
Future-ready food operation
Prepare for emerging requirements and technologies by enabling QR codes powered by GS1, digital labelling and richer product data, delivering greater transparency for regulators, retailers and consumers alike.
Transform standards worldwide
GS1 delivers the traceability and data sharing infrastructure that allows business and consumers to make sustainable and safe choices. For more than 50 years we have helped our members to adapt, thrive and make ambitious improvements.
To this day, our globally recognised standards remain essential for powering the ability to identify, capture and share interoperable data.
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Membership plans
GS1 UK membership is flexible and based on your annual turnover, making it suitable for small food producers through to established grocery brands. Pricing starts from £50 per year, with scalable packages to support expanding product ranges, pack formats and distribution channels.
| Turnover | Number of GTINs & barcodes | Price (ex VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| Up to £99,999 | 10 | £50/year |
| £100,000 - £499,999 | 100 | £100/year |
| £500,000 - £999,999 | 1,000 | £130/year |
| £1,000,000 - £9,999,999 | 1,000 | £200/year |
| £10,000,000 - £49,999,999 | 10,000 | £450/year |
| £50,000,000 - £249,999,999 | 10,000 | £1,750/year |
| £250,000,000 - £999,999,999 | 100,000 | £3,250/year |
| Over £1,000,000,000 | 100,000 | £4,250/year |
Select your annual turnover
Your membership plan will include:
- GTINs & barcodes
- 1 GS1 Company Prefix (GCP)
- Access to GS1 standards
- Access to partner networks
- Free support and training
Types of barcodes used in food
Different barcode types support different food use cases, depending on where products are scanned, how they are stored and what data needs to be captured.
EAN-13
The most widely used retail barcode for food products, applied to individual items to enable fast, accurate point-of-sale scanning and consistent identification across retailers and grocery platforms
QR codes powered by GS1
Next-generation barcodes enabling richer data, including batch and date information, digital labelling and enhanced traceability to support food safety, recalls and regulatory compliance.
EAN-8
Designed for small or limited packaging, such as single-serve items or compact products where other retail barcode types won’t fit
ITF-14
Used on outer cases and cartons, supporting warehouse scanning, bulk handling and distribution of grouped food items through supply-chain and logistics environments.
GS1-128
Mainly used in logistics and food distribution, where additional data such as batch numbers, best-before dates, or shipment references to support traceability and stock control is needed.
Benefits of choosing GS1 UK for your food & grocery barcodes
Globally recognised standards
Our internationally recognised product identifiers are designed specifically to support food and grocery supply chains. Consistently identified, accurately scanned and reliably traced products, end-to-end.
Retailer and marketplace acceptance
Used across major supermarkets, wholesalers, providers and online platforms, GS1 barcodes help ensure food products move smoothly through the whole process with no discrepancies or delays.
Food safety and compliance support
GS1 standards help support regulatory requirements, recalls, and audits by enabling clear product identification, batch tracking and date management throughout the food product lifecycle.
Easy-to-use management tools
Create, assign, and manage GTINs and other GS1 identifiers through intuitive online tools, making it easier to maintain accurate product data across ranges, pack formats and changing products.
Expert UK-based support
Work with UK-based experts who understand the realities of food production, packaging and retail, offering practical guidance on barcodes, traceability and more.
Industry insight and guidance
Benefit from food-specific resources, insights and industry collaboration that help you stay aligned with evolving regulations, retailer requirements and innovations shaping the future of food.
See how GS1 standards are helping food brands grow
Get a barcode for food & groceries today
Join GS1 UK to give your food and grocery products trusted, globally recognised identifiers used by retailers, wholesalers and supply-chain partners worldwide. GS1 barcodes help food businesses of all sizes trade with confidence, supporting accurate scanning, reliable product data and clear traceability across every channel.
With a simple sign-up process, scalable membership pricing based on turnover, and access to expert UK-based support, getting started is easy. You’ll receive official GTINs, intuitive tools to manage your products and pack formats, and a solid foundation for safe, compliant and scalable growth.
