Food Traceability Requirements
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 supplier requirements to ensure we’re effectively tracking the products on the Food Traceability List (FTL).
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 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+ or Direct Store Delivery (DSD) suppliers.
UNFI’s traceability requirements:
• Advanced Shipping Notifications (ASNs) are required to be leveraged, either via EDI or via UNFI’s Traceability Portal, to digitally share Key Data Elements (KDEs).
• Pallet tags, specifically Serial Shipping Container Codes (SSCC), are required when shipping products on the FTL.
• Case labels, specifically GS1-128 case labels, are required when labeling products on the FTL.
• Delivery documents, specifically Bill of Ladings (BOLs), are required to include KDEs when shipping FTL products.
The following pages provide details on these requirements. Questions?
Advanced Shipping Notifications (ASN)
All FTL items sold to UNFI will need to have data shared digitally through Advanced Shipping Notifications (ASNs). You can reference the Key Data Elements table below to see which KDEs are required to be shared via ASNs. Have questions?
There are two ways to share ASNs with UNFI:
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 potential configuration updates.
If your business has EDI technology but does not send ASNs via EDI to UNFI today, we encourage you to onboard to do so
Do NOT have EDI enabled?
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 UNFI’s 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 suppliers unable to share data through the EDI options listed above.
Supplier Type Additional Considerations
Brands+
Retail DSD
Brands+ suppliers, especially those who ship product to third party warehouses, should expect additional information on enabling ASNs.
Retail DSD suppliers are asked to also share an ASN 856. Our valueadded network partner for retail suppliers is SPS Commerce.
Pallet Tags
Pallets carrying items on the FTL should be correctly labeled with the specifics below. The Serial Shipping Container Code (SSCC) should be included on pallet tags. This is a GS1 standard and a traceability best practice to use when shipping items on the FTL. Have questions?
Pallet Tags Need to Include:
1. SSCC Application identifier (00) and scannable barcode.
2. Pallet tags should also provide the ship-from, ship-to addresses, and the purchase order (PO) number
3. In addition to the above data points, please reference UNFI’s Handling and Packaging Guide on UNFI’s pallet tag standards.
More information on SSCC pallet tags is available on the GS1 website.
Best Practices for Labeling and Shipping Pallets
• If a pallet is built containing multiple lot codes, please separate the lot codes where possible.
• Lot codes should be visible without breaking down the pallet.
• Cases should be stacked with lot codes facing out of the pallet for easy validation.
Supplier Type
Additional Considerations
Brands+ Brands+ suppliers should expect additional information on pallet tag requirements. An updated UNFI Brands+ Packaging and Labeling Guide is coming soon.
Retail DSD Though not all DSD suppliers deliver full pallets, if you do, please follow the requirements above.
Case Labels
Including scannable labels will allow for efficient case tracking of the traceability lot codes to the end retailer Have questions?
GS1-128 Labels need to Include:
• GTIN: Global Trade Item Number (01)
• Any date: Pack date (11), expiration date (17), etc.
• Lot Code: Lot or Batch Number (10)
Best Practices for Packaging and Labeling Cases
• For inner packaging of your products, we request that legible, human-readable 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.
• Please try to avoid having multiple labels on the case.
• Barcodes should be black on a white label. Please try to avoid printing barcodes directly on boxes.
Supplier Type Additional Considerations
Brands+
Additional information will be shared with Brands+ suppliers in the Packaging and Label Guide coming soon.
Retail DSD As a DSD Supplier, it is important to take note of our inner packaging best practices listed above.
Delivery Documentation
All products on the FTL sold to UNFI will need to have physical data shared through the Bill of Lading (BOL). You can reference the Key Data Elements table below to see which KDEs are required to be shared via BOL. Have questions?
Bill of Ladings (BOL) need to include:
UNFI is requesting that all KDEs are included on BOLs, when possible.
• 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 not provide direction on how to enable these requirements It is our supplier’s responsibility to determine how to include KDEs into their BOL. We’ve included best practices shared by the FDA here on how to share KDEs in delivery documentation.
Supplier Type Additional Considerations
Brands+ There are no additional considerations from a Brands+ perspective, but please expect additional information in future volumes.
Retail DSD Retail DSD Suppliers are asked to abide by the above requirements to support Retail receiving of items on the FTL.
Key Data Elements (KDE)
Key Data Elements
Information Carriers
PO Number Required Required Required
Bill of Lading Required Required
Ship Date Required Required
Ship-From Location Required Required Required
Ship-To Location Required Required Required
GTIN Required Required Required Required
UNFI Item Number Required Required
Product Description Required Required
Traceability Lot Code Required Required Required
Traceability Lot Code Source (or)
Traceability Lot Code Source Reference Required Required
Country of Origin Required Required
Pallet Quantity Required Required
Case Quantity Required Required
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 established within your organization. For best practices on establishing traceability lot codes or updating your company’s lot codes, you can find more information here.
We are requesting 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 your 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:
▪ The 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 Integration Guide
Packaging and Labeling Guide
New Item Set-Up
New Supplier Set-Up
UNFI will release an updated EDI Integration Guide providing additional details for suppliers 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 item set up process to capture item level data attributes: for example, if the item is on the FTL.
UNFI will be updating our new supplier set up process to capture data attributes at the supplier level and onboard suppliers to our digital data sharing options.
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
BOL Bill of Lading
DSD Direct Store Delivery
PO Purchase Order
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 of working with UNFI.
Please reach out to the below resources with any questions.
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 SupplierEDI@unfi.com.
• For questions regarding UNFI’s Brands+ requirements, please reach out to FoodTraceability@unfi.com or your Brands+ representative
