Global Traceability Guidelines published for the wine industry

This can be downloaded from www.gs1.org.

The 'Wine Supply Chain Traceability Guideline' was developed to assist wine producers and suppliers to the EU in implementing compliance with the traceability provisions of the European General Food Law. Companies involved in the development of the guidelines include Allied Domecq, Constellation Europe, Diageo, Distell, E&J Gallo, Waverley, Henkell & Söhnlein, and Les Grands Chais de France.

Philip Goodband MW, the Co-Chair of the Wine Supply Chain Traceability Working Group and Consultant Master of Wine to Constellation Brands stated: "For the European wine industry the opportunity to create a single set of guidelines using common standards has taken us all ahead of the game and meets the requirements of the European Union. Constellation Brands fully supports this initiative, as such global standards are a vital element for efficient trading."

John Corbet-Milward, Head, Technical & International Affairs, the Wine and Spirit Association, welcomes the new guidelines: "We are delighted to have participated in the working group that developed this important document. Traceability is now a legal requirement in the EU and any company thinking about improving its capability in this area using the latest technologies should certainly consider looking at the guidelines before taking any policy decisions."

Garth Whaits, Manager Exports and Logistics Distell, states: "Participating in the establishment of the traceability guidelines was a great honour for Distell, and South Africa. As a producer, it is most important that Distell meets the needs of our customers, satisfies legal requirements and simultaneously achieves a measure of production efficiency. This guideline establishes all this, as it speaks a universal language, one that is understood throughout the worldwide supply chain."

Alistair McArthur, Global Operations Manager, Allied Domecq Spirits and Wines said: "I am pleased to have been part of an initiative led by respected industry groups to pool business knowledge and develop a mutually beneficial set of guidelines to help to ensure traceability. We support the use of EAN.UCC Standards across production, sales and marketing around the world."

Alan Armstrong, Quality Assurance & Production Services Manager, WaverleyTBS said: "To be able to trace our products from grape to glass by way of standardised procedures as well as the technological support of GS1, allows us to give our customers the confidence and assurance of our products."

Michel-Laurent Pinat, Délégué Général of the Association Française des Eleveurs, Embouteilleurs et Distributeurs de Vins et Spiritueux (AFED) states: "I am proud to have been part of such an initiative to share business knowledge and skills. Further to the obvious compliance with the E.U. Regulation 178/2002, our approach has been world wide oriented and I am very happy to have had the opportunity to participate and to succeed in the efficient and cost effective management of this issue."

Miguel Lopera, CEO of GS1 said: "Adoption of the full set of EAN•UCC standards by the wine industry is especially timely in view of the release of the first open, global standard for radio frequency identification (RFID). This EPC global standard is the first royalty-free, global standard that will allow companies to harness the power of RFID to provide greater product visibility in their supply chains worldwide. Leading retailers have announced guidelines for Electronic Product Code (EPC) rollout, in order to track product globally."