<P> In the mid-1970s, the NAFC established the Ad - Hoc Committee for U.S. Supermarkets on a Uniform Grocery - Product Code to set guidelines for barcode development . In addition, it created a symbol - selection subcommittee to help standardize the approach . In cooperation with consulting firm, McKinsey & Co., they developed a standardized 11 - digit code for identifying products . The committee then sent out a contract tender to develop a barcode system to print and read the code . The request went to Singer, National Cash Register (NCR), Litton Industries, RCA, Pitney - Bowes, IBM and many others . A wide variety of barcode approaches were studied, including linear codes, RCA's bullseye concentric circle code, starburst patterns and others . </P> <P> In the spring of 1971, RCA demonstrated their bullseye code at another industry meeting . IBM executives at the meeting noticed the crowds at the RCA booth and immediately developed their own system . IBM marketing specialist, Alec Jablonover, remembered that the company still employed Woodland, and he established a new facility in North Carolina to lead development . </P> <P> In July 1972, RCA began an eighteen - month test in a Kroger store in Cincinnati . Barcodes were printed on small pieces of adhesive paper, and attached by hand by store employees when they were adding price tags . The code proved to have a serious problem; the printers would sometimes smear ink, rendering the code unreadable in most orientations . However, a linear code, like the one being developed by Woodland at IBM, was printed in the direction of the stripes, so extra ink would simply make the code "taller" while remaining readable . So on 3 April 1973, the IBM UPC was selected as the NAFC standard . IBM had designed five versions of UPC symbology for future industry requirements: UPC A, B, C, D, and E . </P> <P> NCR installed a testbed system at Marsh's Supermarket in Troy, Ohio, near the factory that was producing the equipment . On 26 June 1974, Clyde Dawson pulled a 10 - pack of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit gum out of his basket and it was scanned by Sharon Buchanan at 8: 01 am . The pack of gum and the receipt are now on display in the Smithsonian Institution . It was the first commercial appearance of the UPC . </P>

When did they start putting barcodes on products