Coke, Pepsi and other soda brands make subtle change to products

The next time you crack open a can of Coke or Pepsi, you may notice a small addition to the packaging.

Major beverage brands are quietly rolling out QR codes on cans and bottles that allow shoppers to instantly access detailed information about the ingredients inside their drinks – a move designed to give consumers greater transparency about what they’re consuming.

The initiative, led by the American Beverage ᴀssociation (ABA), will see companies including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Keurig Dr Pepper, Red Bull, Monster Energy, Celsius and Polar Beverages add QR codes linking customers to a new online database called Good to Know.

Rather than simply listing ingredients on the label, the website provides easy-to-understand explanations about what more than 140 beverage ingredients are, why they’re used and how they’re are viewed by food safety regulators around the world.

Consumers who scan the QR codes will also be able to access ingredient safety ᴀssessments from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and Health Canada.

The industry says the move is intended to help shoppers make more informed choices at a time when many Americans are paying closer attention to what goes into their food and drinks.

‘Consumers want greater transparency and deserve to have confidence in the safety of their foods and beverages,’ American Beverage ᴀssociation President and CEO Kevin Keane said.

The Good to Know website contains information on ingredients ranging from familiar additives such as caffeine and citric acid to lesser-known compounds including Lion’s Mane and L-Carnitine.

Major beverage brands are quietly rolling out QR codes on cans and bottles that allow shoppers to instantly access detailed information about the ingredients inside their drinks (stock image)

Each ingredient page explains what it is, which types of beverages it is commonly found in and summarizes published safety findings from government food safety agencies.

The site does not break down the exact ingredient list for each individual product, meaning shoppers will still need to check the packaging itself to see precisely what is in a specific drink.

The rollout has already begun, with beverage companies starting to add the QR codes earlier this year. 

The industry says it expects full or near-full adoption across participating brands by the end of 2027.

The move comes as food manufacturers face growing pressure from consumers demanding greater transparency over ingredients and additives.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made ingredient disclosure and reducing consumption of sugary drinks a key part of his Make America Healthy Again agenda.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration encouraged Americans to report hospitals and nursing homes serving sugary drinks or meals that fail to meet federal dietary guidelines.

Kennedy has also publicly criticized major coffee chains over the amount of sugar in some of their beverages, renewing debate around nutrition labeling and ingredient disclosure.

The industry says it expects full or near-full adoption across brands by the end of 2027

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The beverage industry’s new system is separate from nutrition labels already required on packaging and instead aims to provide extra background on ingredients that consumers may not recognize.

It’s also not the first time soda makers have used QR codes, with companies such as Coca-Cola previously adding them to packaging for promotions, compeтιтions and marketing campaigns.

Online, many consumers welcomed the added transparency, although some questioned whether it goes far enough.

On Reddit, users discussing ingredient labeling said they have long wanted more detailed information about what’s inside popular soft drinks, particularly ingredients listed under broad terms such as ‘natural flavors.’

One highly upvoted commenter explained that US labeling rules allow manufacturers to group certain flavorings together under the umbrella term ‘natural flavors,’ while another noted that companies also protect proprietary recipes as trade secrets.

Others said clearer ingredient information would particularly benefit people with allergies, with several users describing the difficulty of identifying potential allergens hidden within generic ingredient descriptions.

For shoppers wanting to know more about what’s inside their favorite drinks, however, the humble QR code could soon become one of the most useful additions to a soda can in years.