EDI for Food and Beverage Suppliers: Lot, Date and Label Requirements

Food and beverage suppliers send the same EDI documents as other suppliers, but with extra data that matters for freshness and traceability. This guide focuses on the practical side: getting lot and date-code data accurate and into your documents. For why grocery EDI differs, read our overview, Grocery EDI: What Food & Beverage Suppliers Need to Know.

What lot and date-code data is

• Lot code: identifies a production batch, so a product can be traced.
• Date code: an expiration, best-by or pack date, which retailers use to rotate stock.

These details travel in the 856 Advance Ship Notice (ASN), your notice of what is in a shipment. It must match what is on the physical cartons.

Where the data comes from

Lot and date information starts in production or the warehouse, not in the EDI system. For accurate ASNs, three things have to line up:

• The source record: your warehouse or ERP system must store lot and date for every pallet and case.
• The shipment: what actually ships must match what the record says, so picks must be scanned or confirmed by lot.
• The document: the ASN must read the lot and date from that record, not from a typed copy.

Checks before you send

• Does each carton in the ASN list the lot and date for what is inside?
• Do mixed pallets show each lot separately?
• Do the codes on the label match the codes in the ASN?
• Do your date formats match your retailer’s guide?

A mismatch between the label and the ASN can lead to a compliance exception, even when the carton count is right. Requirements differ by retailer, so keep your retailer’s guide open while you check.

Labels

Where your retailer requires GS1-128 labels, they should carry the same shipment details the ASN carries. The barcode on a GS1-128 carton label typically holds a serial shipping container code, which is how a retailer’s receiving system ties a physical carton to its line in the ASN. If the label is wrong, the match can fail even when the ASN data is correct. Our guide to preventing shipping label errors that cause EDI chargebacks covers label accuracy in more depth.

Weekly spot checks

Spot-check a few outbound shipments each week: compare the physical cartons, the label and the ASN. Catching a mismatch early is much easier than resolving it after the fact.