We've talked a lot recently about label tracking and traceability concerns in the food and beverages industry. It seems consumers are taking an active role in pushing for better regulations or more enforcement at every level of the food supply chain.

Of course, these talks have cost and management implications for stakeholders in the food and beverages industry. One trade group says it would now like to study supply chain processes and measures to determine best practices moving forward.

The National Restaurant Association (NRA) announced the formation of an Executive Study Group, which aims to research "issues such as increasing commodity and wholesale food prices, sourcing of ingredients, and traceability of products," according to a press release.

Dawn Sweeney, president and CEO for the NRA, added that food safety and supply chain efficiency are both top concerns for restaurateurs. The group – composed of major restaurant executives and managers – will also look at the Foodservice GS1 US Standards Initiative as a potential jumping-off point in its discussions.

That initiative was developed in 2009 to provide direction to food industry stakeholders with issues such as label tracking and traceability as well as counterfeit labeling. GS1 said it wants at least 75 percent of the industry subscribing to these standards by 2015, and an October 2011 press release said GS1 is now halfway towards that goal. More than 1,400 food service companies have adopted the GS1 standards, up from 191 in 2009.

That's certainly encouraging progress, but as a report this week from the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) shows, label compliance remains a challenge because fraud in the industry lacks definition. Dishonest labels or packaging are only part of the puzzle when it comes to food fraud, said the report.

All the same, the more companies that subscribe to standards like the ones that GS1 has laid out, the better the overall industry may be. If you have questions about the Foodservice G1 Standard or anything else GS1-related, don't hesitate to reach out to Loftware.