Retailers already trialling next-generation codes that can show sell-by dates, product instructions and ingredients

It is the zebra-striped tag that has become ubiquitous over the last 50 years, but the barcode’s days could be numbered. The global organisation overseeing their use has said a more powerful alternative will be readable by retailers everywhere within two years.

New codes that contain sell-by dates, product instructions, allergens and ingredients, as well as prices, will mean “we will say goodbye to the old-fashioned barcode”, according to GS1, an international non-profit that maintains the global standard for barcodes.