• Products
• Services
  • GS1net (Data Synchronisation)
  • Implementation and advisory services
  • Bar code Verification
    • Get A Verification Report
    • Verification Reports
    • Verification Failures
    • Self Verification
    • Terms and Conditions
  • Bar code Accreditation Programme
  • Standards Development (GSMP)
• Education and Events
• Solution Providers

Self Verification

Can I do the Bar Code Verification myself?

Accredited manufacturers are licensed to issue GS1 verification reports for their own products, and therefore can save the costs of having to send their products to be verified by GS1 New Zealand. Accredited suppliers, although not licensed to issue an official GS1 verification report, can minimise the risks and costs associated with producing bar codes of a poor quality. There are numerous other benefits of the accreditation programme.

To find out more information about the GS1 accreditation programme please click here.

To find out more about GS1 New Zealand's verification service or if you have any queries, please don't hesitate to contact Owen Dance or call on +64 4 494 1064 or verify@gs1nz.org.

Why should I get a GS1 Bar Code Verification report?

Currently, the major New Zealand retailers require an official GS1 verification report on any new, promotional, and repackaged products. Only official GS1 verification reports and reports from GS1 accredited manufacturers are accepted by retailers in New Zealand and Australia.

Official GS1 verification reports provide several advantages over the simple printouts produced by verifiers. An official GS1 verification test is conducted with a verifier that complies with ISO/IEC Standard 15426-1, as required by GS1 International specifications, and that tests bar codes by the 'scan reflectance profiling' method that is defined in ISO/IEC Standard 15416.

In addition, an official GS1 verification test assesses specifications that cannot be tested by the verifier alone. On its own, a verifier cannot assess several essential parameters including the following:

• The verifier does not know whether the bar code chosen is the correct type for the intended application.
• The verifier cannot tell whether the bar code is the correct magnification (width), as outlined in the GS1 specifications.
• The verifier cannot tell what the height of the bar code is, nor whether the bar code is in the correct location on the unit.
• The verifier cannot report on the size, placement, or legibility of the human readable characters printed below the bar code symbol or whether they are even there at all.
• A GS1 verification report gives you the assurance on all of these points with an independence that your trading partners can rely on.

You should never assume that your bar code works fine if no one has complained to you about it, only a barcode which passes GS1 verification should scan first time every time.