Foodservice Guideline Aims To Enhance Food Traceability And Safety

Suppliers, Distributors, Operators and Other Industry Stakeholders Collaborate to Help Minimize the Impact of Withdrawals

GS1 US has published a new “Implementation Guideline for Case-Level Traceability Using GS1 Standards,” which offers step-by-step guidance for the track and trace of food products as they move through the supply chain. Foodservice industry stakeholders participating in the Foodservice GS1 US Standards Initiative, including suppliers, distributors and operators, collaborated with GS1 US as part of a traceability workgroup to develop the guideline aimed at enhancing food safety and visibility.

The guideline focuses on the implementation of case-level traceability processes leveraging GS1-128 barcodes and capturing important traceability information such as product and location data, production dates and batch/lot numbers. By collecting and maintaining this information through the use of GS1 Standards, trading partners can support visibility of the product’s movement through the distribution channel, and minimize the impact of product withdrawals by removing affected product faster.

“To become more vigilant about food safety, the foodservice industry needs visibility and continuity of information across the supply chain. Users of the guideline will understand how to gather and capture detailed product information, which will help to keep consumers safe, deliver information transparency and enhance operational efficiencies,” said Angela Fernandez, vice president of foodservice and retail grocery, GS1 US.

“Recognizing the importance of traceability, the workgroup collaborated to broaden our collective understanding of GS1 Standards and how they support food safety,” said Lucelena Angarita, ‎Quality/GS1 program manager, IPC (SUBWAY’s purchasing cooperative) and member of the traceability workgroup. “Moving forward, we hope the guideline will assist anyone in the industry as a blueprint for stepping up their traceability efforts in the most clear and efficient way possible.”

The Foodservice GS1 US Standards Initiative’s workgroups bring together targeted teams with technical and functional expertise to develop a variety of implementation tools, educational materials and industry recommendations. Members of the traceability workgroup will continue to meet throughout this year to discuss the application of GS1 Standards and best practices for the implementation of traceability and supply chain visibility programs.

The guideline is available at www.gs1us.org/foodservicetraceabilityguide.

About Foodservice GS1 US Standards Initiative
The Foodservice GS1 US Standards Initiative represents a broad cross section of industry trading partners. Today 132 manufacturers, distributors, brokers, operators, industry associations, government agencies, logistics, and technology providers are participating members in initiative activities focused on improving transparency, operational efficiencies, traceability, and food safety with GS1 Standards.

About GS1 US
GS1 US, a member of GS1 global, is a not-for-profit information standards organization that facilitates industry collaboration to improve supply chain visibility and efficiency through the use of GS1 Standards, the most widely-used supply chain standards system in the world. Nearly 300,000 businesses in 25 industries rely on GS1 US for trading partner collaboration that optimizes their supply chains, drives cost performance and revenue growth while also enabling regulatory compliance. They achieve these benefits through solutions based on GS1 global unique numbering and identification systems, barcodes, Electronic Product Code-based RFID, data synchronization, and electronic information exchange. GS1 US also manages the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code (UNSPSC). For more information, visit www.gs1us.org.