Coke, Pepsi and Dr Pepper will begin using QR codes for ingredient information

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: NBC News

June 22, 2026, 10:53 AM EDT


America’s biggest nonalcoholic beverage companies will add ingredient safety data to drink packaging QR code links, giving consumers access to more information about the contents of their products.

The initiative is led by the American Beverage Association, the trade group that represents major drinks companies including Keurig Dr Pepper, PepsiCo and The Coca-Cola Co. In a rare show of unity, these companies that usually compete with one another are working together on the effort.

Participating brands include Coke, Pepsi, Dr Pepper, Celsius, Monster Energy, Polar Beverages and Red Bull. Consumers who scan the QR codes will have the option of opening GoodToKnowFacts.org, a website launched by the ABA last year, which contains information about more than 140 ingredients commonly found in packaged beverages.

For each ingredient, the site lists a short description, other foods or beverages that use it, and whether it is authorized for use by food safety regulators, including the Food and Drug Administration, the European Food Safety Authority, and Health Canada.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/coke-pepsi-dr-pepper-ingredients-rcna350909

[erronis]

1. I see a QR code and I see a way for a company to get your information

I don't know if these QR codes on products are simply giving out information or if they are also requesting information from your device such as your email address. I'd be leery.

[eggplant]

5. A QR code just encodes a URL.

Most phones will show it to you and ask if you want to go there after scanning it. The codes themselves aren't somehow personalized, and consequently neither is the URL. What the web browser you use on your *phone* chooses to provide is separate from the QR code. It is really the same as if they printed the URL on the label and forced you to type it into your browser, without the hassle of having to type it in.

That said, it is likely that the QR code varies between different drinks, so the URL can show you the ingredients specific to that particular drink, so you don't have to search the website for that, either.

[GreatGazoo]

6. They get your phone data when you use the QR link

Track every scan and link click, monitor user locations, and analyze device types in real-time. Use Google Analytics integration for an advanced view of how your users interact with your codes and links, improving your marketing precision.

https://qrcode-ai.com/en-US/tracking

Bad actors have used QR stickers to trick people into clicking through to spoof sites that capture payment info:

https://its.unc.edu/2023/10/09/qr-codes/

[IbogaProject]

2. I'm tempted to file an ADA complaint about that

I am a type 1 diabetic and I have a sensitivity to fake sweeteners, I need info on carbohydrates and seek to avoid any artificial sweeteners. They can have the qr code for more info but I want the ingredients and where the calories come from.

[IbogaProject]

3. I remember before they started putting the actual totals of carbohydrates in the whole package

They used to just list the ingredients and maybe the total calories but had zero details about how much sugars were in there as recently as the 1980s.

[LudwigPastorius]

4. They know most people won't bother scanning a code to look up ingredients.

...leading them to add all of the red dye #2, potassium bromide, titanium oxide, BHA, BHT, and whale juice they want.

[GreatGazoo]

7. The single worst food you can put in your body and they made it worse

by adding surveillance.

It should just say

Ingredients: Diabetes and dementia promoting HFCS, bone-depleting, osteoperosis-inducing phosphoric acid. If "diet": metabolic syndrome-inducing petroleum-based artificial sweeteners known to boost your chances of stroke, heart disease and all cause mortality. Enjoy!