In 1974 a packet of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit chewing gum became the first product to be sold using a barcode reader. This was such a significant event in consumerism that the packet of gum is now displayed at the Smithsonian's Museum of American History. However, times have changed and barcodes have now become such a regular part of everyday life that it is doubtful if many people even notice them or think about them any more.
The barcode was such a phenomenon of its time because it was the first system that allowed all tagged items suitably marked items to be processed directly by computers. As technology has progressed new systems have being developed such as the Electronic Product Code (EPC) that is currently being perfected by EPCglobal - a joint venture between EAN International and the Uniform Code Council. These bodies will merge in January into a new entity to be known as GS1.
EPC is viewed as the next generation of product identification as, like the barcode, it can identify the manufacturer, product, version and serial number but it is different in that it uses an extra set of digits to allow the identification of individual items. This simple addition of extra information allows any one item to be found in the supply chain of any industry, anywhere in the world in real-time. The EPC is able to do this through the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and an Internet-based global network that connects places where the items are scanned with the manufacturer's database containing the item's individual details.
EPC's potential means that it could be used to follow an individual item through its life cycle from where it is produced to shops whichshops that sell it. Whilst the many benefits to the consumer of individually identified products could include the quicker removal of any out of date or recalled products in addition to reducing time spent at the check-out it is unlikely that the EPC will be used on individual products for some time yet. Its initial use will be in the tracking of bulk shipments in the distribution chain.
It was with the consumer in mind that EAN GS1 NZ contacted SNZ to develop a set of guidelines around the use of EPC. The voluntary guidelines are being developed to address any privacy issues raised by buying EPC marked goodstagged goods. Organisations represented on the committee developing the Code include industry representatives such as the Retailers Association and the Food and Grocery Council, the Consumers' Institute, commercial concerns such as Foodstuffs New Zealand, and regulators such as the Ministry of Consumer Affairs. Because of the likely high usage of EPC within the health industry and the particular sensitivity of privacy issues around health, the Pharmacy Guild and Health Informatics New Zealand are also participating. The Privacy Commissioner has been briefed on the committee's work and is maintaining a watching brief.
John Kelly, SNZ project manager who is overseeing the development explains, "The guidelines will comply with national and international legislation and regulation on consumer protection and privacy. They will also be designed to evolve as the technology moves on and consumer research develops, therefore ensuring industries ongoing commitment to consumers."
The Chief Executive of EAN New Zealand, Dr Peter Stevens, is enthusiastic about the Code of Practice. "EPC is great technology and it offers huge benefits, but there's some mythology that circulates about it and causes unnecessary concerns that we want to allay," he says. "It can't be used to spy on people the way some critics fear it can, but we are going to have a Code of Practice in place by the time the technology arrives that will reassure people anyway."
The main points covered in the guidelines will include:
-
Consumer notice - consumers will be clearly notified of a product having an EPC
-
Consumer choice - consumers will be given information on how to remove or discard the EPC from a product (although the EPC will mostly be part of disposable packaging)
-
Consumer education - information on EPC will be made easily available to consumers
-
Record use, retention and security - companies recording information from EPC will do so in compliance with all applicable laws: no company will gather or store information from EPC tags on goods sold by other companies.