The Manufacturers, Growers, and Packers (MGP) Discussion Group kicked off on April 29th as an opportunity to collaborate, share insights and facilitate the adoption and use of GS1 Standards from the beginning of the supply chain. Leaders in manufacturing, growing, and packing companies with foods on the FDA’s Food Traceability List (FTL) are encouraged to attend. Please complete the MGP Discussion Group Interest Form to become a participant. The next MGP Discussion Group call takes place on August 19th at 11 am ET. If you have any questions, please reach out to Mike Fabrizio at mfabrizio@gs1us.org.
The GS1 US Cross-Industry Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Workgroup will meet on August 3rd at 2 PM EST. The purpose of this group is to address the increasing complexity of state-level EPR regulations and to develop a unified, standards-based compliance approach across various industries. At the end of May, the group published Version 1 of the GS1 US Guidance for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Packaging Regulations, as well as the GS1 US EPR U.S. Data Model. The next meeting will focus on gathering feedback from industry members regarding potential improvements for future versions. Additionally, the meeting will collect initial thoughts on recent legislation emerging from Minnesota, Maryland, and Maine. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please reach out to Amy Reiter at areiter@gs1us.org or Norma Crockett at ncrockett@gs1us.org.
The Joint Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) 204 Workgroup met in May to discuss topics such as Data Hub Create/Manage, the Amazon Retailer Accuracy Vendor Event (RAVE), Rapid Record, The GS1 US Readiness Survey, and GS1 Connect. The Open Forum portion of these calls provides an opportunity to discuss opportunities, solutions, and success stories with your peers. The Workgroup meets on a quarterly basis in 2026, unless members request higher frequency. The next call will take place on August 20th at 2 pm ET. Subgroup calls continue in 2026 to address more specific industry challenges. New members interested in participating are encouraged to reach out to Mike Fabrizio at mfabrizio@gs1us.org.
The Grocery Retailer Subgroup provides a dedicated forum for retailer members of the FSMA 204 Workgroup to meet each month and discuss topics specific to the retail segment of the supply chain. The group focuses on sharing common challenges and pain points faced by retailers, with the goal of identifying aligned approaches, driving consistency, and establishing unified expectations for supplier engagement. The next meeting will be Wednesday, August 26th at 11:00 am EST. Retailers interested in learning more or participating in this subgroup are encouraged to contact Amy Behm (abehm@gs1us.org).
The Foodservice Distributor FSMA 204 Subgroup meets bimonthly to discuss challenges and considerations specific to foodservice distribution on the path to FSMA 204 compliance. The July discussion focused on the FDA's recent Traceability Listening Session, industry experiences with tracebacks, and the complexities of managing commodity items along with commingling use cases under the FSMA 204 Rule. The next meeting is scheduled for September 2nd at 3 pm EST. Participants are encouraged to suggest future discussion topics. Foodservice distributors interested in joining this subgroup should contact Norma Crockett (ncrockett@gs1us.org).
The GS1 US Restaurant and Hospitality Brands Discussion Group (formerly known as the Foodservice Operator FSMA 204 Subgroup) met on July 8th. This public forum is open to all restaurant and hospitality brands, and no membership in the GS1 initiative is required. During the July meeting, attendees focused on industry collaboration around food traceability readiness, including the TLC flexibilities, with participants sharing implementation experiences, challenges, and strategies related to supply chain data exchange. The discussion centered on balancing regulatory compliance with practical operational realities, improving supplier and distributor engagement, and advancing data standardization and interoperability. The next meeting is scheduled for August 5th at 11 am EST. If you would like to join, please contact Norma Crockett at ncrockett@gs1us.org.
The Foodservice Attribute Workgroup is meeting on September 30th at 1PM EST to conduct the annual review of the GS1 US Foodservice Recommended GDSN Trade Item Attribution Guide. Since the guide's publication last year, four GDSN Releases have been rolled out. During this meeting, we will review all the new attributes within these releases and any changes that may affect the guide. Please come prepared to discuss the new attributes you believe should be included as part of the Foodservice guidance going forward. Also, changes to existing attributes can be requested. If you think attributes within the guide should be removed or replaced by a different attribute that is more appropriate, please email foodservice@gs1us.org your request no later than September 16th. All change requests will be discussed and voted on at this meeting. Changes requested after this review period will be addressed at the next annual review meeting, tentatively scheduled for September 2027.
The Cross Industry RFID Discussion Group met in-person June 9th at Connect with 225 people attending. This was our 18th quarterly discussion group meeting and was truly special in content, vision, and value. The 2-hour session featured guest speakers from Walmart, Qualcomm, CCL/eAgile, Auburn University and Kennesaw State University all sharing perspectives on the “brilliant” supply chain visibility innovation. Content included presentations on the Walmart & Gildan/Hanes pilot results, handheld and robotic demonstrations, as well as a demonstration of pre-filled syringe validation across the supply chain all the way to the point of care. The next discussion group meeting will expand further on this work. It will be hosted by Auburn University this September 22nd. This full-day, in-person-only, event will expand and advance the “brilliant” work. The registration link is: https://aub.ie/rfidinaction2026. For more information feel free to contact Jonathan Gregory at jgregory@gs1us.org
The GS1 US Cross-Industry 2D Discussion Group is a collaborative forum dedicated to uniting various stakeholders to tackle real-world challenges related to data capture and sharing, both in the supply chain and at retail point of sale. The goal is to explore how implementing 2D barcodes can serve as a viable solution. The April meeting focused on Sunrise 2027 retailer/supplier testing readiness, including POS testing requirements, 2D barcode placement (50mm rule), data encoding best practices, retailer feedback expectations and more. The group is now reconvening on July 29th at 2pm EST to discuss the need for retail/supplier/brand alignment, creation of sub-teams to address specific sector topics, and Walmart will be sharing their vision for both Sunrise 2027 and 2D in Distribution for FSMA 204 and beyond. If you wish to join this group please enter your full information HERE.