EAN

EAN (European Article Number) is a product identification barcode standard established in Europe in 1977, now managed by GS1. Japan's JAN code is technically identical. Most retail barcodes are EAN-13 (13 digits).

EAN barcodes are one-dimensional and store only a 13-digit GTIN. Product names, prices, and expiration dates come from POS databases, not the barcode itself - a reasonable design for 1970s data infrastructure but limiting today.

QR codes far exceed EAN's constraints, storing thousands of characters including URLs, lot numbers, and origin data. GS1 plans to transition retail product identification from EAN to GS1 QR codes by 2027, though updating millions of POS systems worldwide requires gradual implementation.

EAN barcodes and QR codes will coexist during the transition. Packages will print both, with legacy POS reading EAN and modern POS reading QR codes.