Six Trends That Will Shape U.S. Supply Chains in 2026

Regulatory complexity is rising on multiple fronts. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA) Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is driving stricter traceability requirements for certain types of food, and despite an announced extension, companies that manufacture, process, pack, or hold any of the foods on the U.S. FDA’s Food Traceability List are already pushing to meet the new requirements. To add to that, EPR laws for packaging and textiles continue to expand as a state-by-state patchwork, creating reporting challenges for brand owners and retailers.

Separately, some states are seeking waivers to restrict certain food and beverage items—such as sugary drinks or candy—from purchase with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. This could lead to inconsistent eligibility rules across states. The GS1 Global Product Classification (GPC) standard can help by providing a consistent way to classify products, making it easier to identify items that states deem ineligible.

Meanwhile, the proposed Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA) highlights the need for item-level identity and event data sharing to strengthen prevention and investigations. Technologies like 2D barcodes and RFID, combined with EPCIS event data, enable authentication and traceability to combat theft and fraud. All these, in combination with tariff shifts creating uncertainty in sourcing strategies, are accelerating change in supply chains at an unprecedented rate.

In 2026, automation will earn its keep in everyday operations. Start with pain you already know: late loads, yard bottlenecks, missing advance ship notices, and mispicks. Agentic AI can help recommend fixes and trigger tasks, but only when it reads consistent product, location, and shipment identifiers plus a complete event trail. Autonomous tools will grow where work is repetitive and high in volume, such as yard gate check‑ins, goods‑to‑person moves, and pallet transport inside distribution centers.

Some of the fastest wins can come from real‑time transport, yard, and warehouse monitoring that closes the gap between plan and reality. EPCIS event data captures what moved, where, when, and how so teams can reslot inventory, resequence picks, or rebook appointments before service slips. With clean identification and real-time visibility, you can cut dwell time and protect on‑time, in‑full performance.

With Sunrise 2027 imminent, 2026 is your test year for 2D at checkout, so keep it simple with a crawl‑walk‑run approach. Start with “crawl.” Retailers can use the Barcode Capabilities Test Kit and Getting Started Guide to confirm optical scanners, and depending on the age of your system, you may need firmware updates. Configure your scanners to extract only the GTIN from 2D barcodes to deliver the familiar single beep. Brands can update any existing QR Codes to the GS1 Digital Link format and generate a 2D barcode carrying the GTIN. Reference the guidance provided by GS1 for on-package placement and co-locate your 2D barcode with the existing UPC.

From there, think about scaling up to “walk” and “run” use cases like enhanced consumer engagement, on-shelf availability, and freshness management as well as loss prevention and returns fraud detection.

Think of RFID, 2D barcodes, and EPCIS as a trio that turns visibility into value. Alone, each can solve a piece of the puzzle. RFID speeds inventory counts, 2D delivers rich product details, and EPCIS connects the dots with event data. Together, they unlock something bigger: accuracy across channels, authentic returns, and stronger loss prevention.

In 2026, think about hybrid use cases. Use RFID for fast item‑level inventory in high‑shrink or high‑return categories. Pair it with 2D for attributes and consumer engagement, and feed both into EPCIS to create a trusted event trail. That’s how you stop fraud before it starts, keep shelves stocked, and prove chain of custody when regulators ask.  

In 2026, the integrity of your data becomes the ultimate performance metric because without complete, accurate data, every compliance report, AI model, and service promise is at risk. If your GTINs, locations, and event timestamps are off, every downstream process, from compliance to automation, suffers.

Leading companies like Target are treating data like any other strategic asset—measuring it, funding it, and reporting progress to the executive team. Measuring progress in programs like FSMA, EPR, and 2D adoption can help you track gaps and prioritize fixes before they become costly failures.