What is the difference between the barcode and the EPC?
Like bar codes, EPCs do not carry personally identifiable information But the EPC does what the bar code does – and more. In addition to identifying the manufacturer and the product, the EPC allows the manufacturer to add a serial number to uniquely identify an individual product. An EPC can be associated with specific product information, such as date of manufacture, origin and destination of shipment. This allows a manufacturer or a retailer to distinguish products even if the product is the exact same as the one next to it on the shelf. Each product can be identified and managed separately. This eliminates the possibility of incorrectly counting the same item several times.
