The CPG industry pioneered standardization 35 years ago, and continues to drive standards forward today.

The consumer packaged goods industry was the first to adopt U.P.C. barcodes universally, setting the stage for standardization across many other industries.

Today, GS1 US is applying global standards to help CPG companies and grocery retailers improve efficiency, lower distribution costs, ensure safety, and integrity throughout the supply chain.

GS1 Standards

• Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs) for product identification.
• Global Location Numbers (GLNs) for identification of companies, divisions, and individual store, manufacturing, or distribution locations.
• Serial Shipping Container Codes (SSCCs) for identifying logistics units.
• The Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN) for sharing accurate and complete product data with trading partners.
• Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) to help companies conduct ecommerce and online communication efficiently and accurately.

GS1 Data Carriers
The following GS1 data carriers (barcodes and tags) are used:

• U.P.C. barcodes
• GS1 DataBar barcodes
• ITF-14 barcodes
• GS1-128 barcodes
• GS1 DataMatrix
• EPC-enabled RFID tags