The first digits of a barcode do not show where a product was made, USA TODAY reported in a Dec. 20, 2023, fact-check. It rated Partly False a widely shared social media post claiming that barcodes starting with 729, 841 and 871 identify goods from Israel.
What the prefix means
Barcode numbers come from GS1, the nonprofit standards body. The first three digits, the GS1 prefix, show which national GS1 office issued the company’s number, not where the item was made. GS1 says the prefix “does not indicate that the product was manufactured in a specific country or by a specific manufacturer; it may have been produced anywhere in the world.”
- The 729 prefix is issued to companies registered in Israel, but goods carrying it can be made anywhere.
- The 841 and 871 prefixes are issued in Spain and the Netherlands.
Why it matters for origin claims
The same rule applies to shoppers looking for USA-made goods: a barcode issued by GS1 US does not prove a product was made in the USA, and a foreign prefix does not rule it out. The reliable source is the product’s country-of-origin marking or a qualified Made in USA label. USA TODAY reached the same conclusion about barcode prefixes in a July 2020 fact-check.
Source & credit
Source: USA TODAY: “Barcodes starting with 729, 841, 871 do not prove goods were made in Israel”, Dec. 20, 2023. Also: GS1 Company Prefix.