Thirty-Fifth Anniversary of the Bar Code

The U.P.C. is equally important to small entrepreneurs, who sell their products through large retailers, which require the bar code for both sales and recall purposes. GS1 US helps several thousand such businesses create their U.P.C.’s annually.

Every U.P.C. incorporates three elements: the brand owner’s GS1 Company Prefix, the specific item’s “reference number,” and a “check digit,” which is calculated by the combination of the preceding numbers and ensures data accuracy.