Most often, barcodes are found on products that comply with the European EAN-13 and American UPC-A standards. They were previously compatible with each other, and recently a single designation for both of these standards, GS1, has been introduced. The barcode contains basic information about the product, including the country of origin.
Instructions
Step 1
Read the numerical designation of the country of origin, fixed on the barcode of the product. If this is not a volumetric code, but a regular linear one, consisting of strips of different widths, then, in addition to the graphic designation, numbers corresponding to the bar coding are usually applied to it. The numbers are placed under the image and their number according to the EAN-13, UPC-A and GS1 standards must be equal to either twelve or thirteen (UPC-A). The first three digits ("prefix") indicate the country code of the manufacturer.
Step 2
Determine which country is assigned the numerical designation that you read from the barcode of the product. This can be done using the corresponding tables that can be found on the Internet. However, do not use the first link you come across in a search engine - the numbering of countries in barcodes has some peculiarities that different authors do not always go through when placing them on their pages. As a result, for example, the ranges from 0-9, or from 0 to 13, or 0 to 139, are attributed to goods from the USA and Canada on different resources. It is more reliable to use data from primary sources. The association that is currently officially working on standardization of barcodes is called GS1, and the address of the page with a list of country codes on its website is https://www.gs1.org/barcodes/support/prefix_list. The same table in Russian can be found on the website of the Russian national organization-member of this association
Step 3
Take into account the fact that the indication in the barcode of the company that produces the goods may not be registered in the country of location of its production, but in the country where the main flow of export of products is directed. In addition, this product can be produced in one of the subsidiaries in another part of the world. It is not uncommon for a manufacturing enterprise to be co-founded by several firms from different countries, or the product is manufactured under a license from a firm registered outside the country where the production is located.
