The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC), peak body for food and grocery manufacturing, has announced it will partner with standards group GS1 Australia to drive uptake of new standards and technology in the food and grocery manufacturing industry.
GS1 Australia, local arm of global standards organisation GS1, 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 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.
The partnership will strengthen the work of both organisations in lifting the overall efficiency of the food and grocery sector, AFGC CEO Tanya Barden said.
“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,” Barden said.
The partnership builds on a strong relationship, according to GS1 executive director and CEO Maria Palazzolo.
“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,” 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.”
Established in 1995, the AFGC promotes the role the sector plays in sustaining Australia’s economic, community and environmental health, advocates on issues of concern and interest to the sector and acts as a forum to discuss and pursue those issues.
The $127 billion food and grocery manufacturing sector is a significant contributor to the Australian economy and directly employs more than 276,000 people, with 108,000 of those jobs in rural and regional Australia.
GS1 is a not-for-profit organisation that develops and maintains the most widely used global standards for efficient business communication. GS1 standards improve the efficiency, safety and visibility of supply chains across physical and digital channels in 25 sectors.