Packaged water is one of the most frequent groups in our practice. The marking is often placed on the cap, which makes it vulnerable to abrasion, folds and damage from shrink wrap.
In a shop or pharmacy this is often described simply as “the marking on the bottle does not scan”. The technical goal is still the same: recover the original code for that exact unit.
Water markings often follow a familiar structure with a 14-digit GTIN, a 13-character serial and a short security part. That makes this group especially suitable for specialised analysis.
If the symbol still exists, start with a close photo of the cap or label and a photo of the linear barcode. Even badly damaged water markings are often still readable.
If the code is completely gone, group-shipment information and GTIN-based stock logic may still help identify the missing unit.
For water producers and distributors, organised support for damaged codes can directly improve retailer trust in the product.