UNFI’s Food Safety Vision
UNFI is deeply committed to food safety and regulatory compliance, and we strive for excellence by driving continuous improvements. Our food safety vision is to have a world class food safety management system that achieves the highest level of industry standards and exceeds consumer expectations.
If you have any questions about the below requirements, please reach out to FoodTraceability@unfi.com.
Overview
As we prepare for the implementation of FSMA Rule 204, or the Food Traceability Rule, we’ve outlined how UNFI will meet the requirements to effectively track the products on the Food Traceability List (FTL) and share Key Data Elements (KDE) with our retailers.
Timeline:
UNFI will launch these requirements in fall 2025 to prepare for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) go-live date of January 20, 2026. Visit the UNFI Food Traceability Site for more information on UNFI’s timeline.
Compliance:
We are currently working with our supplier community to assess their readiness for the FDA’s Food Traceability Rule. UNFI intends to be compliant by January 20, 2026. Non-compliance will be addressed in a future volume of our requirements guide, expected in spring 2025.
Scope:
The requirements in this guide will only apply to products on the Food Traceability List (FTL). These requirements apply to all lines of business across UNFI. Throughout the guide, we’ve included additional considerations for Brands+ customers.
UNFI’s traceability requirements:
• If your business supports EDIs, you will receive Advanced Shipping Notifications (ASNs) either via EDI or UNFI’s Traceability Portal, to digitally share Key Data Elements (KDEs).
• GS1-128 case labels are a supplier best practice and will be passed onto our retailers for items on the FTL.
• All customers will receive delivery documents which will be updated to include KDEs when shipping products on the FTL
The following pages provide details on these requirements. Questions?
Advanced Shipping Notifications (ASN)
All products on the FTL sold by UNFI will have data shared digitally through Advanced Shipping Notifications (ASNs). You can reference the Key Data Elements table below to see which KDEs will be shared via ASNs. Have questions?
There are two ways UNFI will share ASNs:
1. Sharing ASNs via Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)
If your business is utilizing EDI, UNFI is adhering to the ASN 856 standard. Use this resource from GS1 to learn more.
Have EDI enabled?
Please review the ASN 856 requirements for expected configuration updates.
Do NOT have EDI enabled?
If your business has EDI technology but does not receive ASNs via EDI from UNFI today, we encourage you to onboard to do so UNFI recommends enabling EDI technology as a best practice. Learn more
If your business does not have the capability to use EDI currently, we recommend you work with one of our Value-Added Network (VAN) partners: SPS Commerce, Edict, or True Commerce.
2. Sharing ASNs via UNFI’s Traceability Portal – Coming Spring 2025
This portal will provide alternative data sharing options for retailers unable to receive data through the EDI options listed above.
Customer Type Additional Considerations
Brands+ Brands+ customers, especially those who receive directly from a thirdparty warehouse, should expect additional information on enabling ASNs.
Case Labels
Having scannable labels will allow for efficient case tracking of the traceability lot codes to the end retailer.
UNFI will not be updating selection labels to include Traceability Lot Codes. Retailers will reference the supplier case label for Traceability Lot Codes. Have questions?
GS1-128 labels are required to include:
• GTIN: Global Trade Item Number (01)
• Any date: Pack date (11), expiration date (17), etc.
• Lot Code: Lot or Batch Number (10)
Supplier Best Practices for Packaging and Labeling Cases
• For inner packaging of suppliers’ products, we have requested that legible, humanreadable lot codes are added in the form of laser-engravings, ink jetting, dot pen, or chemical etchings.
• Case labels should not be applied to the top or bottom of cases.
• Suppliers should try to avoid having multiple labels on the case.
• Barcodes should be black on a white label. We ask suppliers try to avoid printing barcodes directly on boxes.
Customer Type
Additional Considerations
Brands+ Additional information will be shared with Brands+ customers as needed. Brands+ product will adhere to GS1-128 Standards.
Delivery Documentation
For all products on the FTL sold by UNFI and purchased by retailers, data will be shared physically through the delivery documentation Reference the Key Data Elements table below to see which KDEs will be shared via delivery documentation. Have questions?
Delivery documentation will include:
• The data points below are critical for traceability.
o GTIN
o Traceability lot code
o Traceability lot code source OR traceability lot code source reference
• Many of the additional data points listed in the Key Data Elements table are already present in standard delivery documentation.
UNFI will share more information on expected changes to delivery documentation across lines of business in future volumes.
Customer Type Additional Considerations
Brands+
There are no additional considerations from a Brands+ perspective, but please expect additional information in future volumes.
Key Data Elements (KDE)
Required Traceability Data Elements
Information Carriers
Invoice Number UNFI to Provide UNFI to Provide
Bill of Lading UNFI to Provide UNFI to Provide
Ship Date
UNFI to Provide Supplier Provided UNFI to Provide
Ship-From Location UNFI to Provide UNFI to Provide
Ship-To Location
GTIN
UNFI to Provide UNFI to Provide
UNFI to Provide Supplier Provided UNFI to Provide
UNFI Item Number UNFI to Provide UNFI to Provide
Product Description UNFI to Provide UNFI to Provide
Traceability Lot Code UNFI to Provide Supplier Provided UNFI to Provide
Traceability Lot Code Source (or)
Traceability Lot Code Source Reference UNFI to Provide UNFI to Provide
Country of Origin
UNFI to Provide UNFI to Provide
Pallet Quantity UNFI to Provide UNFI to Provide
Case Quantity UNFI to Provide UNFI to Provide
Additional information on Key Data Elements can be found on the following page.
Additional Key Data Element Information
Global Trade Item Number (GTIN): The GTIN is a GS1 standard for items, providing a unique identifier that can be referenced across supply chain partners. Learn more
Traceability Lot Code: The Food Traceability Rule requires companies to transmit traceability lot codes, which are unique identifiers that are established by the supplier of the product. You can find more information here to learn about best practices
We have requested that suppliers share one of the two options below:
1. Traceability Lot Code Source Reference: This is UNFI’s preferred sharing option. Companies are asked to define the traceability lot code source reference, like a globally unique identifier such as a GLN or a DUNS.
▪ Global Location Number (GLN): A unique facility identifier that is supported by GS1, GLNs can be leveraged as traceability lot code source reference. You can find more information on this option here.
▪ Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS): Another unique facility identifier, supported by Dun & Bradstreet. You can find more information on this option here
▪ The FDA defines additional options for sharing traceability lot code source reference here
2. Traceability Lot Code Source: Companies are required to define this key contact information, which describes the location where the food was handled. This should include:
▪ Business name
▪ Phone number
▪ Physical address or geographic coordinates
▪ City
▪ State
▪ Zip code for domestic locations and comparable information for foreign locations, including country
Traceability Updates
Updates Coming Soon
EDI Guide
Packaging & Labeling Guide
New Customer Onboarding
UNFI will release an updated EDI Integration Guide providing additional details for customers to reference when preparing EDI for traceability.
UNFI and UNFI Brands+ will release updated Packaging and Labeling Guides including details on traceability requirements.
UNFI will be updating our new customer onboarding process to ensure new customers set up their connection to receive traceability data.
Acronym Glossary
TERM DEFINITION
FTL Food Traceability List – The FDA’s
ASN Advanced Shipping Notification
EDI Electronic Data Interchange
KDE Key Data Element
SSCC Serial Shipping Container Code
GS1 Global Standards 1
GTIN Global Trade Item Number
VAN Value-Added Network
Thank You
Thank you for your collaboration in creating a safer supply chain for all.
We understand the impact that food traceability has on the supply chain and are advocating for achieving higher levels of food safety while minimizing impact to your business. UNFI developed these requirements to match industry best practices and standards and to limit challenges when working with UNFI.
Please reach out to the contacts below with questions or if you need additional support.
Questions?
• General questions about food traceability and UNFI’s requirements should be sent to FoodTraceability@unfi.com.
• For specific questions on ASNs and EDI, please reach out to EDICustomer@unfi.com.
• For questions regarding UNFI’s Brands+ requirements, please reach out to FoodTraceability@unfi.com or your Brands+ representative.
