GS1 US Publishes Foodservice Style Guide

The Foodservice GS1 US Standard Initiative’s recently released Product Images Application Guideline marks the first style guide of its kind for the hundreds of thousands of foodservice products on the market.

The guide was developed by members of the initiative’s Product Images Task Group to ensure consistent delivery of quality images and complete product information for restaurants, operators and others subscribing to the Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN), GS1 central database for foodservice product information.

In addition to enhanced nutritional, allergen, gluten and other information for products, those researching products will also have access to professional photos so they can better understand what they're buying.

“Improved images are going to greatly improve our ability to manage operator expectations,” said Gene Carbonara, senior director of operations at US Foods and co-chair of the task force, in the Foodservice GS1 US Update, a bi-monthly e-newsletter published by the International Food Manufacturers Association (IFMA) and the International Food Distributors Association (IFDA). “When a sales rep can show a picture of the actual product as well as inner packaging, the operator can make better decisions about how that product fits into their operation from a usage and storage perspective.”

Recently, the GDSN reached over 10 million registered products. More than 2,000 foodservice companies are subscribing to the GDSN to access this information.