The Uniform Code Council, Inc. (www.uc-council.org) recently held a live demonstration of Reduced Space Symbology (RSS), a breakthrough bar code, at Dorothy Lane Markets (www.dorothylane.com). This marked its first commercial implementation.

"RSS has enormous potential in every major industry for deeper and more powerful identification of small items and products," says Thomas S. Rittenhouse, president and CEO of the UCC.

An important benefit of RSS is its ability to enhance food safety for consumers through improved product traceability through the supply chain. The RSS is smaller than the Universal Product Code (U.P.C.) yet provides more product information. The bar code can store the manufacturer's or supplier's information, lot or batch number, package weight, and price.

Using the code, produce can be electronically scanned. "RSS will reduce the need for cashiers to be trained on price look ups and eliminate inaccurate pricing," says Norman Mayne, CEO of Dorothy Lane.

"Like the phenomenal impact of the U.P.C nearly 30 years ago, RSS will be the global solution for small item identification," says Rittenhouse. "This is the first important step in a broad implementation effort that will revolutionize the way meat and produce is labeled."