The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) has announced it has joined with pioneering standards group GS1 Australia in a partnership to drive the uptake of new standards and technology in the food and grocery manufacturing industry.
The AFGC is the “peak body” for Australia’s food and grocery manufacturing industry and GS1 Australia is the local arm of global standards organisation GS1, which develops and maintains global standards and tools for supply chain data management.
Under the partnership agreement the AFGC and GS1 Australia will develop and implement a plan for collaborative engagement opportunities and work programs that deliver value for the whole industry. GS1 standards can enable improvements in traceability, digital trade capability and supply chain master data that are going to be crucial to manufacturers working in a global trade environment.
AFGC CEO Tanya Barden said the partnership will strengthen the work of both organisations in lifting the overall efficiency of the food and grocery sector.
“As the Australian food and grocery sector faces increasing challenges around profitability, trading, end-to-end traceability requirements and seeks to access benefits around cost efficiencies and automation, GS1 standards enable the Australian food and grocery sector to more effectively address challenges and realise benefits,” Ms Barden said.
GS1 Executive Director and CEO Maria Palazzolo said the partnership with the AFGC builds on a strong relationship.
“Our two organisations have enjoyed a strong alliance for many years, partnering in the rollout of various supply chain initiatives that have benefited our joint membership and the food and grocery sector as a whole,” Ms Palazzolo said.
“The formalisation of this partnership will allow us to work even closer to meet the growing challenges of an ever-changing sector, consumer expectations, retailer needs and new ways of working as companies undergo their digital transformation.”