Sarah Atkins talks to Phil about the importance of true food labelling. About 56% of people with food allergies have had an allergic reaction because of mislabelled or unclear food packaging, with nearly a quarter (23%) suffering multiple reactions, according to data from GS1 UK, the not-for-profit organisation behind the barcode, which reveals this could be down to dangerous food labelling practices in the UK. Examples include unclear and inaccurate labelling, ambiguous phrases like ‘may contain nuts’ and a worrying lack of legislation. With roughly 20% of the UK population suffering from food intolerances and more than 2 million people having food allergies, labels need to be clearer. Three in five (60%) of allergy sufferers rely on product packaging to access the relevant allergen information but only 24% always find the information they need. Aside from packaging and labels, many search online (38%), looking for product leaflets (20%), visiting a manufacturers website (20%) and asking someone in store (17%). GS1 UK is currently piloting the next generation barcode – a fusion of the linear barcode and QR code – with brands in the UK and could soon be scanned at the point of check-out across the UK by 2027. It means for the first-time shoppers can scan a GS1 powered QR code using their smartphones which can show them that products unique identity, revealing an endless stream of data which writing on the back of packaging cannot. The pilot comes as 43% of allergy sufferers say that they would prefer to access food product information by scanning packaging with their smartphone with them 2.5 times more likely than non-allergy sufferers to have their purchasing decisions influenced by the availability of detailed product information via a QR code – 64% already use their smartphone to scan packaging that features a QR code.