For Scantrust e-label product-specific FAQs, you’ll find those details lower on this page.

Q: What is Scantrust e-label?
Scantrust e-label is an online software tool for digitally sharing and managing product information through labels and packaging, especially for the wine and spirits industry. Scantrust e-label associates product information with printed features, such as a QR code, on labels and packaging.

Scantrust e-label handles the generation of QR codes that are needed for placement on labels and packaging. The system also instantly generates the websites needed for sharing the required product information. There are several benefits gained through the use of Scantrust e-label. The most obvious is that companies can provide product information to their end-customers the need to print all product related details, whether mandatory or otherwise, on labels or tags where space is often had at a premium. Another major benefit is that due to strict regulations and requirements, especially for wines destined for sale in the EU, the Scantrust e-label solution gives companies a tool for ensuring compliance with technical requirements for sharing product information. Data management particulars or avoidance of prohibited content are among concerns that Scantrust e-label is designed to manage.

Companies using Scantrust e-label can rest assured that they are using the best available solution for handling product information through digital means while having confidence that they are compliant with the most current EU requirements. That’s simply not the case with several of the solutions that have suddenly come on the market.

Q: Who can benefit from using the Scantrust e-label solution?
Wine & spirit producers selling in the EU market need to monitor and understand EU regulations and requirements for product labels. The latest regulations and requirements reflect notable changes and they continue to evolve.

The Scantrust e-label solution is designed to benefit companies that realize their obligations regarding EU region laws and that want to simplify their compliance efforts. Some companies will also be attracted by the opportunity to improve their label production workflow.

Wine sellers in particular are liable for compliance with several new label information requirements from December 8, 2023 and onward. Spirits sellers do not have the same requirements yet, but they are advised to watch the wine sector as an indication of any upcoming changes for their own industry. At this point it is adviseable to consider adopting wine industry label requirements wherever they are applicable.

Q: Is Scantrust e-label just for wine producers?
Scantrust e-label is an ideal tool for wine producers that want to keep a balance between what’s on their labels and what can be shared digitally for legal compliance. This makes Scantrust e-label directly interesting for beverage distributors focused on wine and spirits too. Printing businesses, label providers, company printing partners, and even wine and spirit associations can all benefit from using or distributing access to the Scantrust e-label tool. Beyond wine and spirits, the turnkey Scantrust e-label solution and experience will be a welcome and flexible tool for many businesses that need to provide product information through product labels and packaging, regardless of industry.

Q: Is Scantrust e-label relevant for spirits producers?
Yes, the Scantrust e-label solution is an excellent option for spirits producers. Spirits labels do not have the same requirements as wine labels in the EU but the benefit of a QR code end-customer experience remains for spirits sellers. One of the main benefits of the Scantrust e-label solution is that each product can be associated with a customized, online landing page. Scantrust e-label landing pages are online and live within minutes of being populated with custom text that covers the requirements for product related information, such as ingredient tables. Scantrust e-label pages also have uptime guarantees and do not incur hosting fees.

Q: I’ve never heard of Scantrust e-label. How can I trust that you’re reliable?
Scantrust has years of experience helping well known companies as a QR code generation engine for codes that can be quickly applied to up to millions of products. Like all Scantrust products, Scantrust e-label was built to integrate into the existing printing processes already being used by well known and recognized companies. Whether offset, flexo, gravure, or whether or not variable data printing (VDP) is part of your workflow, Scantrust is among the most experienced companies in the world with specialization in this field. Spirits producers have a lot to gain by using the Scantrust e-label on their bottles and packaging labels and our commitment to reliability is guaranteed.

Q: If I already use QR codes on my bottles, why do I need the Scantrust e-label?
Scantrust e-label works best and most conveniently with our complete suite as one-stop solution for QR codes on bottles and packaging. By using Scantrust e-label, you can have greater certainty that your QR code and product associated landing pages are in full compliance with requirements. Some of those requirements are very strict. In the case of EU wine label requirements, it is prohibited to collect personally identifiable information or to serve marketing content to end customers alongside mandatory ingredient and nutrition information. Uptime is also a concern that Scantrust e-label improves on. Finally, the management of QR codes, from generation to printing, is a process that is centralized and streamlined by Scantrust software.

Q: Will consumers have to pay to access the e-label webpages and information?
No. At least for wine sold in the EU, it is unlawful to charge end customers for access to mandatory product information.

Q: Who can use Scantrust’s e-Label platform to create e-labels?
Scantrust e-label is especially designed for businesses that sell wine and spirits. For access to the Scantrust E-label platform, including free-tier access to the E-label platform, you can visit the Scantrust website.

Q: Does the Scantrust E-Label solution only offer support for English?
Scantrust e-label is designed to work for all 24 official EU languages. The user experience is such that the language viewed for any product’s page will depend on the end-customer’s locale.

Q: Do you have an energy calculator?
Yes! You can enter the alcohol strength, amount of sugar, organic acid, we calculate the energy value for you, based on EU conversion factors.

Q: I do not know the amount of sugar, organic acid etc. for energy calculation. How do I figure this out?
You can enter the energy value directly into your e-label. The industry allows using commonly accepted values based on alcohol strength.

Q: I have many SKUs. Can Scantrust e-label handle a lot of SKUs?
We allow you to duplicate e-label information for similar SKUs. We are working on providing a bulk upload feature which will allow you to upload information in bulk.

Q: Can I print the e-label QR code first and upload the information later?
Yes, it’s a dynamic code. That means you can modify both the e-label information and the landing page anytime and anywhere. You can also modify the destination URL of the QR code with the Premium tier plan.

Q: What languages do my customers see on the landing page?
The e-label information can be displayed in all EU official languages. You have a choice to translate and publish all languages or publish only the languages of the market of your product. We offer automatic translation which will save you time in translating all information.

Q: Can I design my QR code with a fancy, custom design?
Right now there is no regulation on the appearance of QR codes, so you can design your QR code any way you like. It is industry practice to put an “i” logo in the middle of the code to let the consumers know they can find product information by scanning. However we would advise not to make the QR code appear like the purpose of the code is for distributing marketing information. This is contrary to the purpose of the new EU wine label regulations.

Q: Can I put the QR code on the bottle neck?
Right now there is no regulation on where the location of a QR code needs to be placed, but it is advisable that (1) the QR code are not torn OR removed after opening the bottle (2) to place the QR code close to other information, e.g. energy value, serving portion, which is usually on the back label

Q: Can I print a QR code and stick it on the bottle, instead of changing my back label?
At the time of writing this, there is no regulation that specifies the QR code used to provide mandatory information, including ingredient and nutrition details, must be printed on the usual label: it is simply required that it is provided with the wine product. The most common and likely situation is that the QR code would be integrated with the design of the back label along with other required product information.