Smart Food Labels Market Report 2026

The smart food labels market size has grown exponentially in recent years. It will grow from $14.97 billion in 2025 to $18.08 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.8%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to rising demand for packaged food transparency, increasing regulatory emphasis on labeling, growing consumer awareness of food safety, expansion of digital food monitoring systems, rising focus on supply chain visibility.

The smart food labels market size is expected to see rapid growth in the next few years. It will grow to $37.3 billion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.8%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to increasing adoption of smart packaging technologies, rising demand for freshness tracking solutions, growing investment in smart retail ecosystems, strengthening consumer preference for informed food purchasing, expanding implementation of intelligent labeling systems. Major trends in the forecast period include growing use of intelligent food tracking labels, increasing adoption of transparency focused labeling solutions, rising demand for shelf life monitoring technologies, expansion of smart packaging solutions in food sector, strengthening focus on consumer information enabled labels.

The rising demand for packaged foods is anticipated to accelerate the growth of the smart food labels market in the coming years. Packaged foods are food items that are pre-prepared, pre-portioned, and often pre-cooked, then packaged and sold to consumers in ready-to-eat or ready-to-cook forms. The growing preference for packaged foods is driven by their extended shelf life, convenience, advancements in food processing technologies, and increasing globalization. Smart food labels support packaged food products by improving transparency, traceability, and consumer interaction through access to detailed product information and real-time tracking data. For instance, in July 2025, according to the Agriculture and Agri-Food Department Canada, a Canada-based government department, in 2024, the food and beverage processing sector continued to be Canada’s largest manufacturing industry by production value, generating $173.4 billion worth of goods. This accounted for 20.3% of total manufacturing sales and contributed 1.6% to the country’s GDP. Processed food and beverage exports reached a record $59.8 billion, reflecting a 3.8% increase from 2023 and representing 34.5% of the industry’s total production value. Therefore, the growing demand for packaged foods is driving the expansion of the smart food labels market.

Major companies operating in the smart food labels market are engaging in strategic partnerships to introduce ultra-thin tracking devices that improve supply chain transparency and enhance food safety. Strategic partnerships involve collaboration between companies to combine capabilities, resources, and expertise in pursuit of shared objectives and mutual growth. For instance, in January 2023, Pod Group, a US-based services company, partnered with SODAQ, a Netherlands-based manufacturing company, and Lufthansa Industry Solutions, a Germany-based technology company. Through this collaboration, the companies aimed to develop innovative solutions and launched a Smart Label Tracking Device at CES, an ultra-thin, reusable tracking solution designed for small and lightweight items. Equipped with features such as low-power cellular connectivity, temperature monitoring, and geofencing, the device improves logistics visibility and control while supporting sustainability through the use of recyclable materials.

In October 2023, ProMach Inc., a US-based packaging and processing machinery manufacturer, acquired Lofton Label Inc. for an undisclosed amount. This acquisition allows ProMach Inc. to strengthen its labeling and coding capabilities by incorporating Lofton Label Inc.’s offerings, including flexographic packaging roll stock films, stand-up pouches, sachets, and stick packs. Lofton Label Inc. is a US-based packaging solutions manufacturer specializing in labels and printed flexible packaging materials.

Major companies operating in the smart food labels market report are Avery Dennison, CCL Industries, Thinfilm Electronics, Paragon ID, Tageos, Alien Technology, Impinj, NXP Semiconductors, Zebra Technologies, SATO Holdings, Checkpoint Systems, Identiv, PragmatIC Semiconductor, SMARTRAC Technology, Qliktag Software, Sensitech, Insignia Technologies, Varcode, Freshpoint Quality Assurance, Temptime.

North America was the largest region in the smart food label market in 2025. The regions covered in the smart food labels market report are Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa. The countries covered in the smart food labels market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

The smart food labels market consists of sale of quick response-coded food packaging, near-field communication-enabled labels, and radio frequency identification tags. Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

This product will be delivered within 1-3 business days.