FSMA 204, Sunrise 2027, GS1 2D barcodes, RFID mandates — the list of acronyms is long, and not all of them apply to your operation. We help you figure out which ones actually do, and build a realistic plan around them.
FSMA 204 sets a food traceability compliance deadline of July 20, 2028, and the industry-wide Sunrise 2027 initiative is driving a shift toward 2D barcodes. Walmart and Kroger are each pursuing their own RFID and GS1 2D barcode programs ahead of these deadlines, and the specifics affect suppliers differently depending on category and retailer relationships.
This is also where the real cost of getting it wrong shows up. Without item-level data, a contamination event affecting a handful of lots can force an entire product category off shelves nationwide, simply because there's no way to isolate which lots are actually affected — as happened during the 2006 E. coli outbreak in packaged spinach, when an entire category was pulled nationwide for months. Item-level RFID or serialized barcoding exists to prevent exactly that scenario.
Looking for help getting your actual equipment ready? See our Item-Level Traceability page for line assessments and equipment recommendations.
What It's Like to Work With Us
1 Determine What Applies
Which regulations and retailer mandates actually affect your product categories.
2 Build a Realistic Timeline
For GS1 2D barcode and RFID adoption, based on your actual deadlines.
3 Support Encoding & Verification
As you implement new tagging, using current GS1 standards (TDS 1.13, SGTIN).
4 Stay Current
Ongoing guidance as standards continue to evolve.
Pro Label is a valuable partner in food safety, helping us to identify our product.
Chris Del Greco, President
Under Sun Acres / Rising Sun Acres (Bell Pepper Packer)
Produce Labels
PLU and GS1 labels engineered to stick to real produce — wet, waxed, or irregular surfaces included.
Clamshell Labels
Bubble-free, wrinkle-free labels built for high-speed application on clamshells and trays.
RFID Tags
Item-level traceability for the compliance requirements arriving in 2027 and 2028.
Case & Pallet Labels
Print-and-apply labeling for case and pallet operations moving at scale.
Ready for a Labeling System That Just Works?
Get a custom quote in one business day — no lengthy contracts, no annual commitments.