With consumers pushing food and beverage manufacturers for more transparency, consumer product companies hope the new SmartLabel technology due to be rolled out next year will be the solution. However, the rumblings from some consumer groups has already begun.
Designed by the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), SmartLabel will give consumers easy access to detailed information on thousands of products by scanning a barcode or doing an online search to reach a page with information on product ingredients and other factoids. To date, more than 30 major companies—including Hormel Foods, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Nestlé, Kellogg, General Mills, Hershey and ConAgra—have committed to using the new technology. Some companies started offering products with SmartLabel late this year, and others plan to start using it early next year. It is projected that nearly 30,000 total products will be using SmartLabel by the end of 2017, and 80 percent of the industry will be onboard within the next five years.