Fresh Produce industry

For further information on any of the Fresh Produce industry initiatives contact Rachel Kairuz – Senior Advisor, Industry Services on 1300 366 033 or via email.

Background

The Fresh Produce Industry has adopted the GS1 standards for Numbering and Barcoding of pre packaged goods, non retail trade items and logistics units. In addition GS1 Australia manages on behalf of industry, Price Look Up Codes and a catalogue of National Global Trade Item Numbers for Non Retail Trade Units of Loose Produce.

Key Associations

Horticulture Australia Limited (HAL) is a national research, development and marketing organisation that works in partnership with the horticulture sector to invest in programs that provide benefit to Australian horticulture industries.
AUSVEG (Australian Vegetable and Potato Growers Federation) represent the interests of growers to government and assist growers in making sure the National Levy is invested on Research and Development (R&D) that meets the needs of the vegetable industry.

More information

Click on the links below for more information:

Industry Initiatives
Information Library
Events
FAQ's
Case Studies
Useful links

Industry Initiatives

Fresh Produce industry work group

GS1 Australia lead a Fresh Produce industry working group that will assist in developing, implementing and resolving any issues related to the uptake of the GS1 System and the supporting B2B, eCommerce and eBusiness practices within the Fresh Produce industry.

Work Group participants include:

Montague Fresh: www.montaguefresh.com.au
Panda Ranch: www.pandaranch.com.au
Woolworths: www.woolworths.com.au
Metcash: www.metcash.com
Coles: www.supplier.coles.com.au
Horticulture Australia: www.horticulture.com.au
Avocados Australia: www.avocado.org.au
Australian United Fresh Fruit and Veg Association
Ausveg: www.ausveg.com.au
Perfection Fresh: www.perfection.com.au

Fresh Produce Industry call to action
download [format: pdf - date: May 2006 - size: 429kb]

Current Committee Activities

Price Look Up (PLU) codes are a four or five digit number that are used to identify Fresh Produce items, including related items such as nuts and herbs and appear on a small sticker that is applied to the individual piece of fresh produce.

In the early 1990's a decision was made by the industry and GS1 Australia, that GS1 Australia would support the Fresh Produce Industry and manage a central list of PLU codes.

There are two categories of PLU codes, global and retailer assigned. Global PLU codes are assigned to produce items that are traded on an international level whereas retailer assigned PLU codes are restricted for national use only.

Application form to apply for a PLU code
download [format: pdf - date: January 2006 - size: 20kb]

National PLU Catalogue for Fruit and Vegetables
download [format: pdf - date: July 2007 - size: 46kb]

To obtain a list of Global PLU codes visit www.plucodes.com.

For further information visit PLU code FAQ's.

"Australian Grown" PLU Codes commenced June 2006

The Country of Origin Labelling (COOL) Standard that was enforced in June 2006 requires retailers to differentiate local produce, as opposed to imported produce, at the supermarket shelf. This affects the shelf label, which in turn affects the entire retailer ordering process. As retailer internal systems cannot be (immediately) upgraded to accommodate these requirements, the Australian Produce Identification Committee (Aus-PIC) agreed upon a short term solution.

Harmonised “Australian Grown” PLU codes have been introduced to differentiate Country of Origin.

If Australian produce co-exists on shelf with imported lines, national suppliers who sell to retailers within Australia and that currently sticker produce with a global PLU code, are required to re label with the new “Australian Grown” PLU codes.

The “Australian Grown” PLU codes are not to be applied to fruit that is exported.

Australian Grown” PLU codes can only be requested by a retailer.

For more information download the presentation on PLU codes and the produce lines that have been affected by COOL.

“Australian Grown PLU codes” are listed in the National PLU Catalogue.

National GTINs for Loose Fruit and Vegetable for Non Retail Trade Items

The Fresh Produce industry was encouraged to allocate Global Trade Item Numbers® (GTINs) at the carton or crate level in addition to applying a GS1 logistics label for pallet identification.

To smooth the adoption of the GS1 System, GS1 manage the allocation of GTINs for loose fruit and vegetables for non retail trade items. GS1 Australia will be working towards providing an implementation process that will facilitate the progression from the national assigned GTIN for non-retail trade items too a grower/vendor allocated GTINs.

For further information visit the FAQ's section for National GTINs for Loose Fruit and Vegetable for Non Retail Trade Items.

GS1 DataBar (formerly Reduced Space Symbology) in the Fresh Produce Industry

Fruit GS1 introduced GS1 DataBar symbols to meet the expressed needs of GS1 members. GS1 DataBar provides a better way to automatically identify individual produce items (e.g., apples and oranges), other very small items.

GS1 DataBar offers the ability to include additional data that can be scanned at point of sale. Through the use of Application Identifiers (AI’s) information such as weight, used by dates, batch or lot numbers and vendor ID can be added to the barcode.

More information

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Information Library

The following documents have been developed for the Fresh Produce Industry:

Application Forms

Apply for a PLU code
download [format: pdf - date: January 2006 - size: 20kb]

Apply for National GTINs for Loose Fruit and Vegetable for Non Retail Trade Items
Note: You must be a member of GS1 Australia
download [format: pdf - date: January 2006 - size: 20kb]

Fresh Produce Identification

Current practice of Fresh Produce Identification
download [format: pdf - date: January 2006 - size: 80kb]

National Fresh Fruit and Veg PLU listing
download [format: pdf - date: July 2007 - size: 46kb]

Guidelines

Numbering and Barcoding Guidelines
Refer to the GS1 Australia Numbering and Barcoding User Manual
download [format: pdf - date: March 2008 - size: 3260kb]

Traceability Guidelines

GS1 Traceability Standard for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables - Implementation Guide
Business Implementation Guide that provides guidance to implementing GS1 traceability standards in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable (Produce) Industry supply chain.
download [format: pdf - date: July 2009 - size: 841kb]

International Fresh Produce traceability guidelines
download [format: pdf - date: January 2006 - size: 283kb]

Guide to implementation - produce traceability
download [format: pdf - date: January 2006 - size: 477kb]

Banana traceability guidelines
download [format: pdf - date: January 2006 - size: 246kb]

Technical Fact Sheets

Fresh Produce logistics label
download [format: pdf - date: October 2006 - size: 123kb]

For technical information on how to use the check digit calculator, allocating numbers, barcode symbol dimensions and numbering and barcoding of logistics units view GS1 Australia Technical Fact Sheets.

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Events

Coming soon.

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FAQ's

For general questions regarding the GS1 standards or membership to GS1, please contact GS1 Australia via email.

National GTINs for Loose Fruit and Vegetable for Non Retail Trade Items

1. What is a National Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) for a non-retail trade item?
The National Global Trade Item Number for non-retail trade items is a GTIN that is currently managed and assigned by GS1 Australia strictly for the use within the Loose Fruit and Vegetable industry for the identification of cases and crates of this product.

This solution has been identified as an interim solution for the identification of the non-retail trade item level to facilitate the staged implementation of the GS1 standards within this industry sector.

2. What is the difference between a National GTIN and a supplier assigned GTIN?
Most commonly a supplier/manufacturer or brand owner assigns GTINs to all trade items. Commonly a unique GTIN-13 digit number is assigned to an item sold at point of sale and more commonly when the trade item is not sold at the retail point of sale an GTIN-14 digit number would be applied to the outer carton known as the non-retail trade unit.

The GTIN assigned to the non-retail trade item can also be used to assist in the identification of the goods on a logistics unit and thus allows trading partners to scan the label and automatically capture information such as what product has been supplied in the logistics unit.

The National GTIN does not identify the supplier or brand owner of the item. The Loose Fruit and Vegetable National GTINs for non-retail trade items (and descriptions) are maintained by GS1 Australia not by the supplier.

3. Which GTIN should I use?
In the long term the industry should move towards the allocation of supplier/agent assigned GTINs if the supplier is deemed the brand owner. However if you have not yet done so and your product fits the criteria of Loose Fruit and Vegetables cartons and/or crates then you can utilise the National GTIN number assigned for your respective products.

Companies should note that the National GTIN ONLY applies to Loose Fruit and Vegetables and does not in anyway affect the standard methods of applying GTINs to pre packed product.

Retailer branded pre-packaged product
Companies packaging fresh produce branded by the retailers should obtain GTINs for the carton level through the respective retailer in the same way they obtain GTINs for the retail level packaging.
Supplier/Agent Branded pre-packaged product
Suppliers that currently assign GTINs to the retail level trade items should assign GTINs at the non-retail level as per the GS1 standards. Refer to GS1 Australia numbering and barcoding guidelines or contact customer service for further assistance on 1300 366 033. Suppliers that have already assigned GTINs to all levels of trade can continue to do so.

Please note: that if you assign GTINs to non-retail trade items you must inform your trading partner so that they can update their databases.

4. I cannot find a National GTIN for my non-retail trade item on the list.
If a National GTIN does not exist for your product, GS1 Australia will allocate one.

You will need to fill out a National GTIN application form and return it to GS1 Australia by fax or email, or alternatively contact GS1 Australia on 1300 366 033.

5. What is the purpose of applying an GS1 logistics label to my logistics units?
To provide information about the unit to which it is fixed, clearly and concisely in a machine and human readable format.

The logistics label can be applied to a single item or a grouping of items. This can be in the form of a carton, pallet, tray, a group of shrink wrapped units, container or any other similar type of packaging created for the purpose of handling, storing and shipping.

Fresh Produce logistics label formats

There are two types of logistic label formats acceptable for the Fresh Produce industry. The first type caters for loose cartons or a shrink wrapped pallets which is the correct format of the GS1 logistic label and the second type has been specifically designed to be applied to a cheap crate where the pallet is not shrink wrapped.

Fresh Produce logistics label format
download [format: pdf - date: July 2009 - size: 36kb]

6. What is an SSCC?
An Serial Shipping Container Code (SSCC) provides your logistics units with a unique reference and can be used to trace products from manufacturing through to delivery. The SSCC requires a unique company prefix. You must become a member of GS1 Australia to obtain this prefix.

7. What information do I need to incorporate in my GS1 logistics label?
Information applied in the GS1 logistics label is trading partner specific. The Grocery industry requires the following information in barcode format:

Mandatory AI (02) AI (37)
Mandatory AI (00)
Optional AI (13): Pack Date AI (13) in barcode format is optional on the GS1 logistics label however must be in the human readable area

Fresh Produce logistics label format
download [format: pdf - date: July 2009 - size: 36kb]

8. How do I access the National GTIN list?
To ensure the integrity of the GS1 standards are maintained the current requirements are that your company be a member of GS1 Australia. A copy of the list can be obtained by calling 1300 366 033 and asking for the Fresh Produce coordinator.

9. Why must I be a member of GS1 Australia to obtain a list of GTINs?
The use of the GS1 System requires unique numbers to be allocated to each trade item. As described earlier to enable the industry to have a staged implementation the national GTIN has been established for the identification of the non-retail trade items only.

However the requirements of the industry are to assign SSCC's to the pallets or logistic units and hence this must be unique.

To ensure these numbers are unique every company assigning an SSCC must have its own unique GS1 Company Prefix. Companies obtain this prefix by becoming a member of GS1 Australia and thus accessing the entire GS1 System.

Price Look Up (PLU) codes
In the early 1990's a decision was made by the industry and GS1 Australia that GS1 Australia would support the Fresh Produce industry and manage a central list of PLU codes.

In 2001 an international body had formed called the International Federation of Produce Coding (IFPC). This body came together to create a central database of PLU numbers that would be used to trade globally; hence, we refer to these numbers as Global PLU Numbers. Global PLU codes can be found at www.plucodes.com

PLU codes are a four or five digit number that are used to identify Fresh Produce items, including related items such as nuts and herbs and appear on a small sticker that is applied to the individual piece of Fresh Produce.

10. How do I apply for a new PLU code?
Complete and return the PLU application form.
download [format: pdf - date: January 2006 - size: 20kb]

11. What are the benefits of becoming a member of GS1 Australia?
By becoming a member of GS1 Australia you will receive:

Easy access to advice and assistance from help desk
Support in the education on the use of numbering, barcoding and electronic messaging
Assurance of being able to find the right product, in the right place, the right time
Greater stock turnover
Reduced stock outs
Improved sales service
Business processes become simpler
Ability to track products through your business processes
More efficient stocktake and inventory control
Reduction in paper based transactions
Minimising of manual data entry

12. How do I become a member of GS1 Australia?
GS1 Australia Customer Service Team on 1300 366 033 or using the contact us link from this website.

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Case Studies

Dole Best Practise
This case study shows that traceability within the framework of food safety is a concept that goes beyond national borders and should be tackled on a global scale.
download [format: pdf - date: January 2006 - size: 552kb]

EUREPGAP best practise
download [format: pdf - date: January 2006 - size: 1070kb]

ANECOOP implementation case study
Anecoop implementation by using the recommendations of the GS1 Global Fresh Produce Traceability Guidelines.
download [format: pdf - date: January 2006 - size: 383kb]

ENZA implementation case study
Numbering and Barcoding of trade items and Logistics Units.
download [format: pdf - date: January 2006 - size: 498kb]

ZESPRI International Limited implementation case study
Traceability of fruit from orchard to final customer through automated data capture.
download [format: pdf - date: January 2006 - size: 326kb]

Dorothy Lane Markets RSS case study
In store pilot to identify loose fruit with GS1 DataBar.
download [format: pdf - date: January 2006 - size: 101kb]

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Useful links

Global PLU codes: www.plucodes.com
Apple and Pear Australia Ltd (APAL): www.apal.org.au
is the peak industry body representing the interests of commercial apple and pear growers in Australia in matters of national importance including regulation and legislation, marketing, research and development.
Avocados Australia: www.avocado.org.au
is the peak industry body for the Australian avocado industry, they provide a range of services to members and the broader industry to foster growth and development. Avocados Australia is a "not for profit" membership based organisation. Members include avocado growers, associated businesses and industry people.

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