Peterborough, United Kingdom – With over 1,400 price look-up codes (PLUs) now in use around the globe, the International Federation for Produce Standards (IFPS) has launched a user-friendly app to help users from across the supply chain to source PLUs. The launch of the app comes at a time when the demand for the voluntary codes, used for price identification at retail point of sale for fresh produce items that are sold individually, is increasing in North America, Europe, South America, Australia, New Zealand and more recently, Mexico.
The voluntary PLU system has been utilized by the fresh produce industry since 1990 for pricing, inventory control and sales data.
“By expanding accessibility to the PLU system, our goal is to expand adoption of this standardized product identification system and the business efficiencies that result from it,” said Ed Treacy, chairman of the IFPS Board of Directors, and Produce Marketing Association vice president of supply chain efficiencies. “This app makes it just that much easier for everyone to look up numbers, and the website’s search enhancements go a long way to satisfy the fast-growing adoption of PLUs in Spanish-language countries such as Mexico.”
To aid fresh produce shippers who are increasingly being asked to synchronize their data, the mobile app and the enhanced website search engine now also include a link with the GS1 Global Classification Code (GPC). The GPC has been updated recently for fruit and vegetables; the app includes mapping between the PLUs and GPC for companies who use PLUs and the GS1 Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN).
The free app can be downloaded in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. In the Apple store, search for “Fresh PLU”; in the Google Play Store, search for “FreshPLU”. For more information about the use of PLU codes, please visit www.ifpsglobal.com/PLU or email plu@ifpsglobal.com.
About International Federation for Produce Standards (IFPS):
IFPS is a coalition of fruit and vegetable associations from the around the globe. The long term objective of IFPS is to improve the supply chain efficiency of the global fresh produce industry by developing, implementing and managing harmonized international standards including Price Look Up (PLU) numbers for bulk/loose products.
Source: International Federation for Produce Standards (IFPS)
