Major beverage makers including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Red Bull and Keurig Dr Pepper are rolling out QR codes on product packaging in the United States that will direct consumers to detailed information about ingredients used in their drinks, as the industry responds to growing demand for transparency around food and beverage contents, NBC News and CBS News reported on Tuesday.
The initiative, led by the American Beverage Association (ABA), will allow consumers to scan QR codes on participating products and access GoodToKnowFacts. org, a website launched by the trade group last year.
According to the reports, the website contains information on more than 140 ingredients commonly found in packaged beverages, including descriptions, examples of other products that use them and details on regulatory approvals from agencies such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the European Food Safety Authority and Health Canada.
Participating brands include Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Dr Pepper, Celsius, Monster Energy, Polar Beverages and Red Bull, according to NBC News.
ABA has revealed that PepsiCo has already linked its beverage QR codes to the website, while Coca-Cola is expected to complete the rollout this month. Keurig Dr Pepper plans to add the feature later this year.
The move comes amid increasing scrutiny of food and beverage ingredients in the United States and growing consumer interest in understanding what goes into products they buy. A recent EY survey cited by NBC News found that six in ten consumers consider ingredients when choosing beverages.
The trend has also boosted the popularity of nutrition-scanning apps such as Yuka, Bobby Approved and Zoe, which allow users to scan product barcodes for health assessments. According to market research firm NIQ, about one-quarter of Americans now use nutrition apps, and 63% of users trust information from those apps as much as they trust information provided by brands.
"Consumers want greater transparency and deserve to have confidence in the safety of their foods and beverages," American Beverage Association President and CEO Kevin Keane said in a statement.
The Good to Know website provides information about ingredients ranging from commonly recognised additives to lesser-known substances such as Lion's Mane and L-Carnitine. However, it does not provide ingredient breakdowns for individual products, meaning consumers will still need to refer to product labels to determine specific contents.
Industry executives described the initiative as part of a broader effort to improve access to information. In a LinkedIn post, Bill McManus, Vice President of External Affairs at the American Beverage Association, said the announcement reflected the industry's commitment to advancing ingredient transparency and providing consumers with "more transparent, consistent, and readily available ingredient information."
The rollout also coincides with calls from the Trump administration for greater transparency around food ingredients. US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made reducing consumption of sugary drinks a key part of his "Make America Healthy Again" agenda and has recently criticised high sugar levels in beverages sold by major coffee chains.
While the industry says the information provided is based on assessments by global food safety regulators, some public health experts have questioned whether such resources provide a complete picture. Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, director of the Food Is Medicine Institute at Tufts University, told NBC News that some regulatory reviews may be outdated and advised consumers to seek information from sources not funded by industry.
The ABA has said that the information on GoodToKnowFacts. org reflects findings from food safety agencies in the United States, Europe and Canada, which regularly review available scientific evidence on ingredient safety.
