# Travel Talk > General Discussion - Anything and Everything >  What Is a Universal Product Code?

## wikerpoter

The universal product code (UPC) is a image commonly found on the product packaging of customer goods and food items. It uses bar value  technology that allows an item or service number to be showed in a structure that machines can understand and raises both the speed and reliability of the check out process.

----------


## kevinsthomas

I don't know how to calculate the number of possible combination encoded, but I'm pretty sure that it exceeds the possible number of products on the planet.

----------

