mpXML: Meat & Poultry Data Standards
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Setting open, voluntary e-commerce standards for the meat and poultry supply chain.

Current Initiatives

Promoting Data Synch in the Meat and Poultry Supply Chain

If you are a supplier or retailer interested in moving to data sync for variable measure meat and poultry products, mpXML can assist in setting up pilots with other supply chain participants.

The Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN) has become a critical tool for suppliers, retailers and service providers. mpXML is committed to fostering broad adoption of the standards in the perishable protein supply chain. The Meat and Poultry Item Synchronization Implementation Guide provides support to companies seeking to electronically synchronize information in accordance with GS1 standards. Addressing the full range of meat and poultry trade items, including fixed weight and variable weight (i.e., catch-weight or tray-pack) products, the guide describes which of the defined party and item EAN.UCC attributes should be used for meat and poultry. Further, it recommends best practices for these standards to synchronize meat and poultry product information between suppliers and retailers. The guide is platform-neutral and can be used with or without third party service providers.

Data synchronization has been a challenge for the meat department. The initial standards were focused on fixed-weight center-of-the-store products, and so many retailers deferred synchronization of meat and poultry and other perishables. However, with the continued refinement of the standards, mpXML's members recognized that data synchronization for variable-measure products was now practical. In the first quarter of 2006, mpXML's members successfully completed a Data Synchronization Pilot of variable-measure meat and poultry items using the Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN). The retailers were able to successfully receive Catalogue Item Notification (CIN) Messages from the producers for variable-measure meat and poultry products for both the Item and Case level. Figuring out how to do variable-measure products is a significant step toward extending data synch to the whole store. Hopefully, other perishables will build on the work done in meat and poultry to further their own synchronization efforts.