According to Mark Fuller, Chief Operating Officer at GS1 Australia – a member of the GS1 Global network helping businesses implement GS1 standards and solutions to identify, capture and share information with their trading partners – the project with Nestlé was a world first for GS1 “using GDSN for the benefit of consumers.”
Fuller said that incorporating the GS1 Global Data Synchronisation Network (GDSN), the local GS1 data pools in Australia and the United States, plus Nestlé Australia’s own databank in Australia, the end-to-end process was an example of GDS working seamlessly around the world to deliver trusted, high-quality and extensive product data to consumers, on demand.
“To date, efforts in this space have been only pilots. Our project with Nestlé Australia is a significant milestone that demonstrates how advanced the GS1 GDS system is and how it can work at its best to enable us to advance and deliver trusted data to consumers,” Fuller said.
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“Nestlé Australia has been part of the GS1 GoScan project from the beginning, assisting GS1 Australia with the development of the application alongside industry associations, national health organisations, universities, major retailers, and other local and global food manufacturers.”
Nestlé Australia B2B & Supply Chain Technology Manager, Mandeep Sodhi, said that for Nestlé Australia, product information available included nutritional and ingredient information, allergen declarations and other consumer advice, dietary information, and much more.
“It’s a huge accomplishment to see our product data appear on the GS1 GoScan app. It adds a new dimension to how we communicate with consumers and ensure they always have the most accurate and up-to-date information at their fingertips.”
According to Sodhi, because Nestlé was a global company and its product information was held in various databanks around the world, the process was more complex.
Fuller said Nestlé Australia’s product data was managed and maintained in SAP and Nutribank - an Australian database designed to assist the organisation manage detailed product composition and formulation data, such as ingredient lists, nutritional information, allergen declarations and other key product data.
“Nutribank data is integrated into Nestlé’s global master data management platform. Data is automatically loaded as part of Nestlé’s existing GDS processes into 1SYNC, the GS1 US data pool, from where it travels back to Australia to GS1net – GS1 Australia’s data synchronisation data pool.
“The data is validated for completeness and accuracy during Nestlé’s label approval process and also when it is loaded onto GS1net, and then processed through to GS1 GoScan’s database where it becomes available to consumers via the iPhone application.”
According to Fuller, the systems and standards that form the foundation of GS1 GoScan had been used by the Australian industry for more than 14 years. “GS1net is used by food, grocery, liquor and healthcare suppliers to share master product data with trading partners, retailers, government agencies and now consumers.
“More than 500,000 product records from almost 1,400 suppliers are available on GS1net today,” Fuller concluded.
Sodhi said that at Nestlé, good data was of “great importance” and critical to the reputation of the company’s brand and products. “From the start, we have been deeply committed to working with GS1 Australia to make GS1 GoScan a reality.”
GS1 GoScan is expected to be launched in October this year and Fuller said GS1 Australia continued to work with brand owners to upload their data for use in GS1 GoScan, and he invited companies to participate “for the benefit of consumers.”
