GS1 Standards

GS1 standards are the universal language of product and shipment identification used across global supply chains. Managed by the GS1 organization, these standards define how products are numbered (GTIN/UPC/EAN), how shipments are labeled (GS1-128 with SSCC codes), and how trading partners exchange data (through standardized EDI formats). Virtually every major retailer in North America requires suppliers to comply with GS1 standards for labeling and identification.

In a logistics context, the most relevant GS1 standards are the GS1-128 barcode label – applied to cases and pallets – and the SSCC-18 (Serial Shipping Container Code) that uniquely identifies each logistics unit. A GS1-128 label encodes the SSCC, GTIN, lot number, expiration date, quantity, and other data in a scannable format. This label is what the retailer's warehouse scans at receiving to match inbound freight against the ASN and purchase order. If the label is missing, unreadable, or doesn't match the ASN data, the shipment stalls at the dock – and a chargeback follows.

GS1 compliance goes beyond just printing a label. The underlying data must be accurate and consistent from the item master through the ASN to the physical label. A GTIN that doesn't match the retailer's item file, an SSCC that duplicates a previously used code, or an expiration date format that doesn't match the retailer's spec will all cause failures. For food and beverage shippers, lot and expiration date accuracy on GS1 labels is especially critical for traceability and recall readiness.

Getting GS1 labeling right at scale requires the shipping system to pull directly from accurate item master data and generate labels programmatically rather than through manual label creation.