The “Logistyka” magazine has already written several times about methods of labeling goods (mainly food products) with variable quantities intended for retail sale using EAN barcodes. For those interested, I refer you to previous years of the magazine or invite you to contact the Barcode Center.
I will just remind you that this concerns the national system for labeling such products whose quantity or weight, and thus price, may be different in each package. These are, for example, raw fruits and vegetables, meat, fish, cheese, cold cuts, or cakes, which for obvious reasons cannot be calibrated so that each package contains the same standard quantity. The price criterion is very important here, because we treat such products as goods with variable quantity, the price of which is calculated according to the actual quantity, and therefore it is different for each individual package. These goods are labeled using EAN-13 barcodes starting with the digit 2. The next digit determines the code structure. The variable quantity, weight, or price of these goods is included in the code, next to the product identifier. Within the national system, five prefixes have been used so far:
■ 24 (code with price) and 29 (code with quantity or weight) are used for internal applications, where the product identifier is an internal number used in a given facility or retail chain
■ 23 (code with price) and 27 (code with quantity or weight) are used for nationwide applications, where the product identifier is a national number
■ Prefix 20 is intended for internal labeling by distributors of standard goods that have not been labeled by their manufacturers or suppliers, or for other purposes resulting from the needs of a given company
■ The remaining prefixes: 21, 22, 25, 26, and 28 are reserved for future needs.
■ 24 (code with price) and 29 (code with quantity or weight) are used for internal applications, where the product identifier is an internal number used in a given facility or retail chain
■ 23 (code with price) and 27 (code with quantity or weight) are used for nationwide applications, where the product identifier is a national number
■ Prefix 20 is intended for internal labeling by distributors of standard goods that have not been labeled by their manufacturers or suppliers, or for other purposes resulting from the needs of a given company
■ The remaining prefixes: 21, 22, 25, 26, and 28 are reserved for future needs.
However, this labeling method is intended only for the domestic market and exclusively for use in retail trade. For non-retail applications, we have a standard solution that can also be used in foreign trade. Since non-retail trade usually involves products in bulk packaging, we will talk about them here.
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 2001/1.