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Is there a UPC code for the Chinese food additive called Melamine?

By Steve Lombardi

WHAT DOES THIS BLOG COVER?

THE FIRST THREE DIGITS ARE THE COUNTRY WHERE THE PRODUCT WAS MADE

In this blog I will attempt to explain how to read a barcode so you are able to recognize products made in the USA from those made from China. If you aren’t feeling particularly adept at learning this system you can always check the Internet UPC Database where you can lookup any product’s UPC Code, UPC Barcode, UPC Product or UPC 12. You have to register but it’s free. (UPC = Universal Product Code)

In this post we’ll be limited to UPCs but you should know like everything else UPCs have evolved first to UCC-12 and then to EAN/UCC-13 codes. (The EAN-UCC-13 codes use 13 numbers.) The product on the shelf may use any of the three codes. I’ll cover the other two evolutionary versions in a later post.

UPC OR BARCODE EXPLANATION – THE FIRST THREE DIGITS ARE THE COUNTRY WHERE THE PRODUCT WAS MADE

Most products on today’s shelves have a bar-coding label. The barcode is the Uniform Product Code or UPC. Like Internet addresses that you buy manufacturers do the same with barcodes. They buy the right to use a certain specific barcode for their products. Many websites offer UPC Codes for sale. If you wanted they might even sell you one for each of your children.

The purpose of this post is to explain the bar-coding system for food products. In the end I'm not sure it's possible to do this, but it's not going to stop me from trying. I'll figure it out. This post is a preliminary start. Let's begin.

A barcode is a numeric system of labeling various products.

A barcode has 12 numbers.

Barcodes to be readable by code readers have white and black lines of various widths. The white spaces between the black lines are a part of the system. The bars can be four widths.

When looking at any barcode you will notice there are lines on the left end, in the middle and on the right end of the UPC. The two thin black lines separated by three white lines in the middle of every UPC. These stand for the numeric sequence 01010; every barcode has this numeric sequence in the middle.

Looking at a barcode you will see six numbers on the left and six on the right side of the middle lines that drop down. Each of those numbers has it’s own four digit line sequence.

(0 = 3211, 1 = 2221, 2 = 2122, 3 = 1411, 5 = 1231, 6 = 1114, 7 = 1312, 8 = 1213, 9 = 3112)

You will notice each four digit sequence adds up to 7; meaning each code is 7 units wide. Don’t worry about this it’s not all that important to you as a consumer.

You should know that barcodes for soda cans, video store rentals and any other product not using the 12 digits will use only the black and white lines, they will not have any numbers.

THAT’S TOO MUCH FOR ME, JUST TELL ME WHAT I NEED TO KNOW – THE FIRST THREE DIGITS ARE THE COUNTRY WHERE THE PRODUCT WAS MADE

Country of origin – If the government won’t protect us we need to protect ourselves.

Barcodes starting with these 3 digits 690, 691, or 692, 693, 694 or 695the product is MADE IN CHINA.

Barcodes starting with 471 are MADE IN TAIWAN.

You may not always find the words “MADE IN CHINA” on the product. They know you’re looking and their preference is to keep you from knowing. The barcode will flag you.

00 - 09 MADE IN USA & CANADA

30 - 37 MADE IN FRANCE

40 - 44 MADE IN GERMANY

49 – MADE IN JAPAN

50 – MADE IN UK

57 – MADE IN DENMARK

64 – MADE IN FINLAND

76 – MADE IN SWITZERLAND

480 – MADE IN PHILIPPINES

628 – MADE IN SAUDI ARABIA

629 – MADE IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

690 – 695 – MADE IN CHINA

740 – MADE IN CENTRAL AMERICA

I'm sending Barbara and Susan to the grocery store to photograph various food product labels to see if what is on the shelf makes it any clearer. Stay tuned.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Lombardi

Full post as published by Des Moines Personal Injury Lawyer on December 05, 2008 (boomark / email).