Staying on top of product updates from manufacturers is crucial for maintaining accurate and up-to-date information in your system. Whether a manufacturer is improving a product or discontinuing it, these changes can affect various aspects of your operations. This guide will walk you through how to review and manage these updates effectively.
What Are Product Updates?
Manufacturers may update products for several reasons, such as improving product quality or discontinuing an item. These updates can include changes to the product image, brand name, manufacturer information, product ID, ingredients, allergens, nutrients, and more. When these updates occur, you’ll receive a Change Notification if the new data differs from what you have saved.
How to Review Product Updates
Here’s how you can easily review and manage these updates within GDSN Connect:
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Navigate to the Product Updates Section:
- On the side menu, select the "Product Updates" option. Here, you'll find a list of all items with updates.
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Filter Your View:
- Use the available filters to narrow down the list by Item Name, Item ID, Menu Item Name, Update Date, and other criteria that are relevant to you.
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Identify Unresolved Changes:
- Items with unresolved updates will be marked accordingly, helping you quickly identify which changes need your attention.
Recommendations for Reviewing Updates
Here are some tips for handling specific types of product updates:
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Discontinued Items:
- Manually search for replacement items using Equivalents or the N2F/Vendor Catalog.
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Product Image, Brand Name, Manufacturer, Manufacturer Product ID:
- Review the changes and accept them if they align with your records.
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GPC Classification & Procurement Category:
- These changes affect how items are tracked in Procurement or Inventory. Review and accept if the new classification meets your needs.
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Country of Origin:
- Ensure the new country is acceptable, especially if it changes from the US to a non-US source.
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Ingredients & Allergens:
- Pay close attention to any new allergens that might be problematic. Decide whether to accept the updates or replace the product if necessary.
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Nutrients:
- Review any significant changes to key nutrients like Calories, Saturated Fat, and Sodium. Also, check meal pattern credits and adjust if needed.
Reviewing and Accepting Changes
Start by selecting one of the items shown on the screen, a pop-up will appear displaying all the item's information. There will be a red exclamation point on the tab where information has been updated. If multiple sections have been updated you will see a red exclamation point next to each tab.
It's recommended to review all tabs and for small changes.
Click the tab displaying the red exclamation point, there you will see what information has been changed indicated by a green check mark and Red X. This will allow you to accept the change made by the manufacturer or decline the changes made.
After you accept the changes for that perspective Tab the red exclamation point will go away confirming you have reviewed all updates for that section. You will need to do this for all Tabs displaying a red exclamation point.
Once changes have been accepted all of the Updates for each tab you'll see "Resolved" next to the item on the review page.
You will need to do this for all items that show they have updates.