GS1 UK opens the door to online food product data

It aims to tackle the cost barriers to smaller firms signing up to the so-called Global Data Synchronisation (GDS) movement. "We're trying to remove the barriers of GDS for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)," said Andrew Stinchcombe-Gillies, sector manager for retail at GS1 UK. "There are barriers around data quality. Small organisations can't afford the investment."

GS1 UK also aims to create an online waiting room for firms to refine the accuracy of their product data before it passes into larger industry-accessible pools. "We are looking to provide a user interface to enter data attributes such as volume, height and weight of orders," said Stinchcombe-Gillies. "It's a waiting area where they can sort out their data before launching into GDS."

He outlined the plans as GS1 UK announced that leading UK foodservice firms, including Brake Bros, Makro, Compass Group, Mitchells and Butlers, 3663 and Country Range had signed up to adopt GDS. They are now urging the 10,000 manufacturers and suppliers serving them to do likewise.

GDS aims to ensure accurate orders by creating standardised data pools for online access.