Lawrenceville, NJ – GS1 US will showcase an expanded foodservice track this year at GS1 Connect 2012, the information standards organization’s annual conference. Being held June 5-7 at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, this year’s conference will showcase 22 foodservice-related educational sessions, nearly triple last year’s content.
Speakers and attendees will include executives from leading operator, distributor and manufacturer companies such as The Coca-Cola Company, Dot Foods, Inc., Johnson & Wales University, PepsiCo Foodservice, Sodexo, Sysco Corporation, US Foods, and many more, as well as GS1 Standards experts.
In addition, attendees can take advantage of foodservice-focused trading-partner roundtables, “How to Do Business With (Company)” sessions, and other networking opportunities. Details on the foodservice program can be found at http://www.gs1connectevent.org/foodservice.
“This year’s GS1 Connect promises to be the best one yet,” said Ann Oka, senior vice president of supply chain management for Sodexo. “I am particularly excited that so many industry leaders will be represented this year. It is important that we work together in adopting GS1 Standards so that we can drive our industry forward with better data, a more efficient supply chain, and better traceability of food products.”
Attendees will also learn about the current progress of the Foodservice GS1 US Standards Initiative, an industry-wide collaboration launched in October 2009 to drive waste out of the foodservice supply chain, improve product information and establish a foundation for food safety and traceability. The initiative’s goal is for 75 percent of the foodservice industry (measured by revenue) to voluntarily adopt GS1 Standards by 2015. The National Restaurant Association, International Foodservice Manufacturers Association, and the International Foodservice Distributors Association are collaborating with GS1 US on the initiative.
A sample of the foodservice track sessions at GS1 Connect 2012 includes:
- Updates on the Foodservice GS1 US Standards Initiative and how to get involved
- Discussions by a panel of operators on implementing GS1 Standards
- Establishing traceability for foodservice and fresh products
- Understanding the Food Safety Modernization Act and its impact on the industry
- Improving industry-wide product data, including enhanced nutritional, ingredient and preparation information, for distributor and operator customers
- Effective methods for labeling, identifying, publishing and accessing enhanced product information through the Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN).
"This is an exciting year for the Foodservice GS1 US Standards Initiative and GS1 Connect,” said Dennis Harrison, senior vice president of GS1 US, who oversees the foodservice initiative. “Now that we’re more than halfway toward our 2015 goal, this year’s attendees will not only have more educational sessions and other learning opportunities compared to last year, they will also have expanded opportunities to network with their peers and share ideas for moving the industry forward.”
Attendees this year will also have the opportunity for face-to-face meetings with foodservice companies. The meetings will include opening presentations on the initiative’s progress, followed by roundtable discussions on implementing GS1 Standards and pertinent industry topics.
More than 1,200 professionals representing all points of the supply chain are expected to attend the conference and expo, which will showcase keynote speaker Biz Stone, co-founder of Twitter. Updates will be posted to Twitter: @GS1Connect.
For more information about the foodservice track at GS1 Connect, which was previously known as U Connect, visit http://www.gs1connectevent.org/foodservice. To learn more about the Foodservice GS1 US Standards Initiative, visit http://www.gs1us.org/foodservice.
Source: GS1 US
