In October 2009, 55 manufacturers, distributors and operators teamed up to launch the Foodservice GS1 US Standards Initiative. The goal of adopting global standards — the GS in GS1 — for products is to drive out of the system waste caused by multiple product codes, improve product information for customers and establish a solid foundation for improving food safety and traceability. Britt Wood, vice president of industry programs and services at International Foodservice Distributors Association spoke to Nation’s Restaurant News about where GS1 US is today.



How many members are there in the initiative? 


As of today there are 65 members. 


A goal was set that by the fourth quarter of 2009, companies in the initiative would assign GS1 Global Location Numbers, or GLNs, to their headquarters. Has that been accomplished? 


[Yes.] All of the founding members have assigned GLNs to their headquarters.


How about the goal that manufacturers would assign GS1 Global Trade Item Numbers, or GTINs, to products and include them on order guides and other trading partner documentation?


We will have actual data from GS1 US surveys soon, but informal discussions with founding members indicate that they have achieved this goal.


By the second quarter of this year, manufacturers and brand owners were to publish product guides, company IDs and related logistics information to trading partners. Also, distributors were to retrieve product information and populate their back-end systems and customer product catalogs.


Sixty of [85 trading partners] have reported that they are ready to send or receive [this] Phase 1 company and logistics data. We need more “ready” trading partners, but this is a nice start.


One original goal was 75-percent adoption of GS1 Standards by 2015. Is that on track?


The founding members are engaging the broader foodservice community to get additional companies involved in the initiative. To date, we are on track to reach the 2015 goals set for adoption and usage. 


Are there any shining examples in the group — a company or people who have stood out in the project?


Yum! Brands has taken standards very seriously and has asked suppliers to start using GTINs. Distributors Ben E. Keith, DOT Foods, Reinhart Foodservice and Food Services of America have played significant roles in keeping the momentum going, ... as have manufacturers Tyson Foods and Rich Products.