GS1 50th Anniversary


On 3 April 1973, industry leaders in the U.S. retail grocery sector create the barcode—an innovation that has revolutionised our modern economy and society.

The U.S.–based Uniform Code Council (UCC) is appointed as administrator of the new Universal Product Code (UPC) barcode.
On 26 June 1974—in a Marsh supermarket located in Ohio—a pack of Wrigley’s gum becomes the first product in the world to be scanned with a barcode.

The European Article Numbering (EAN) Association is established as an international not-for-profit standards organisation in Brussels, Belgium. The new EAN barcode is fully compatible with the UPC barcode in the U.S.
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