Barcode history
The history of EAN-13
EAN-13 is the retail barcode people expect to see on consumer packaging: a compact line of bars tied to a global product identifier.
Origin and use
Why this barcode matters
EAN-13 belongs to the EAN/UPC family, the instantly recognizable linear barcodes printed on retail products around the world. GS1 describes EAN/UPC as the longest-established and most widely used GS1 barcode family.
The story starts with retail checkout automation. GS1's historical timeline marks 1973 as the year industry leaders in the U.S. grocery sector created the barcode, followed by the first product scan in 1974. In 1977, the European Article Numbering Association was established in Brussels and introduced an EAN barcode compatible with the U.S. UPC system.
Today, EAN-13 is closely tied to GTIN-13: a 13 digit identifier used for trade items outside the North American UPC tradition. The bars are the visible data carrier, but the real value is the globally managed product identifier behind them.
1973
The retail barcode begins
GS1 marks 1973 as the year U.S. grocery industry leaders created the barcode.
1974
The first product scan
A pack of Wrigley's gum became the first product scanned with a barcode at a Marsh supermarket in Ohio.
1977
EAN is established
The European Article Numbering Association was created in Brussels, with an EAN barcode compatible with U.S. UPC.
Today
A global retail symbol
GS1 describes EAN/UPC barcodes as printed on virtually every consumer product in the world.
Built for retail
GS1 Ireland describes EAN-13 as the most commonly used GS1 symbol and the symbol typically found on items sold at retail point of sale.
GTIN, not secret meaning
GS1 explains that a complete GTIN identifies a trade item but does not reveal product meaning without access to a database.
The prefix is not origin
GS1 notes that an EAN-13 prefix identifies the GS1 Member Organisation that allocated the number, not the country where a product was made.
Sources
This page keeps to conservative, source-backed facts. Claims that could not be verified from a reliable source were left out.