By Greg Hilton
The ultimate display of vanity, I have heard said, is to “Google yourself”. Meaning, run a Google search with your own name and find out how popular you are in the world of search. I do not think I am particularly vain (I hope that is a true statement), but I have tried it. Turns out, I am pretty much nobody, but I do share my name with a bunch of other folks (some more “popular” than others). If, after reading this blog, you Google your own name, as Carly Simon once sang, “You’re so vain.”
Answers Systems has a new webinar coming up this month (we do community webinars on important Foodservice topics just about every month. The topic for this month is related to the GS1 US standards initiative in foodservice. I Googled the following phrase (GS1 and Foodservice) and got the following first hit in my result list: http://www.gs1us.org/sectors/foodservice.
Here at Answers Systems, we know a ton about the work being done to standardize foodservice data. One way that we stay current on such work is being a part of the technology subcommittee on Contract/Trade Management and technology using the GS1 standards. I recommend taking some time when you can, and check out the above web site. You will learn, according to GS1, “The goals of the initiative are to drive waste out of the foodservice value chain, improve product information for customers, and establish a foundation for improving food safety and traceability that companies can choose to adopt.”
In an industry where data cleanliness is a challenge and information chaos is sometimes considered the norm, the GS1 initiative seeks to help unify the product and customer data attributes in a way that improves the overall flow of information. It’s an important endeavor and one that has many of our customers are asking, “So, what does this mean for me?” Tune in for the Answers Systems GS1 community webinar this month held on January 12 at 2:00 pm for foodservice manufacturers. If you are interested in learning about the GS1 initiative in foodservice, please register today.
Our speakers, all GS1 representatives, will provide you with the foundational knowledge you need to understand the importance of the GS1 initiative and the problems it solves for foodservice.
This session will be led by:
Peter Alvarez, Senior Director GS1, GDSN Industry Engagement for GS1 Global
Dennis Harrison, SVP GS1 US and newly appointed leader of the Foodservice GS1 US Standards Initiative Lead
Check out the registration information online.
Here is a test, “Google” the following phrase “Foodservice Trade Spend”. You will find us, Answers Systems listed as the first result. This has less to do with the upcoming GS1 webinar and more to do with the pride we take at being the first result searched on by these three key words. Ok, I think that does make me vain. I can live with that.
Want to embrace the issue, consider the solution and really improve your organization’s trade promotion management? Contact us. Answers Systems' ContractPro and ValuTrak solutions are software and outsourced services designed for the unique and specific needs of the foodservice industry.