The productDNA HFSS solution has been created as an industry collaboration to support the government's initiative and make it easier to comply with the HFSS legislation.
The following retailers are using the productDNA platform as their shared source of HFSS data from their suppliers.
This free solution will allow suppliers to easily manage and share their HFSS product data to multiple retailers in one action. Data attributes will be enriched and built on the foundation of GS1 industry standards for consistency across all retail channels.
We have created 3 simple steps for you to follow to upload, manage and share your HFSS product data.
However, if you still have unanswered questions, you can always get in touch with us directly by contacting our support team, who are available Monday to Friday from 9:00am until 5:00pm, on 020 7092 3501, or email us at support@gs1uk.org.
1. Download the template
Start by downloading the productDNA excel template we've created that contains all of the attributes you need to supply to meet HFSS requirements.
If you need help filling out the template we have created two videos explaining in further detail.
Alternatively if you only have a few products or you don't get on with excel you can also use the productDNA interface to add your data. We have created two video below on how to do this.
- Please ensure you upload your products at base level and not case level.
- Also ensure to select a product category in column D relevant to HFSS. These categories can be found in the FAQs
How to update mandatory attributes in the excel template
A short video explaining how to complete the mandatory HFSS attributes in the excel template provided.
Links mentioned in the video:
How to update optional attributes in the excel template
A short video explaining how to complete other optional product attributes in the excel template provided.
How to enter mandatory attributes using the UI
If you only have a few products or you just don't get on with excel you can always use the productDNA interface. Here is a short video walking through how to add in your mandatory HFSS attributes through the user interface.
How to enter optional attributes using the UI
If you only have a few products or you just don't get on with excel you can always use the productDNA interface. Here is a short video walking through how to add in your optional HFSS attributes through the user interface.
2. Import your data
Once you have completed your excel template with all of your product's HFSS data, you can now import this to your productDNA account.
Please watch the video below on how to do this.
If you encounter any issues during the upload of your template, please scroll to the bottom to the FAQs for help.
How to import your excel template
A short video explaining how to import your excel template and check your product data.
3. Share your data
With your product data now imported in your productDNA account, you can now share the product with your desired HFSS recipients.
Each of the available recipients have their own HFSS channel, that will allow you to share your product data only with your selected recipients.
How to validate and share your product data
A short video explaining how to validate your product data and finalise any mandatory HFSS attributes before sharing with your desired retailers.
FAQs
You can share with multiple retailers from the publication page. Just click the button next to who you want to share with. More on this is covered in the video below.
No need to worry. All you need to do is open the product page and go to the publication page. Here find the recipient name and click the toggle button next to shared and click unsynchronise next to the recipient’s name.
To add additional users to your productDNA account all you need to do is the following. Log into productDNA and you’ll see in the top right corner the user management option. From here you will be able to invite new users by following the instructions on screen.
To use productDNA you need to be a member of GS1 UK or another GS1 member organisation. If you were previously a member of GS1 UK and you would like to reactivate your account, please contact our support team on freephone 0808 178 8799 or +44 (0) 20 7092 3501. You can also email the team at support@gs1uk.org.
Please find the links below that will direct you to the HFSS legislation published by the UK government.
HFSS legislation
The nutrient profiling model
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-nutrient-profiling-model
If you're not a GS1 UK member or member of any other GS1 organisation you will not be able to use productDNA. To become a GS1 UK member, visit our get a barcode page, select the membership plan that best fits your business needs and join GS1 UK.
Your can easily manage and share your HFSS product data with multiple retailers including Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Ocado and Waitrose and Partners. You will be notified when other retailers become available to share with.
If you're experienceing any difficulties accessing your account, please reset your password using the following link: https://productdna.alkemics.com/#/forgot-password, or contact our Member support team.
The GS1 UK HFSS excel template is the best way to import your product data into productDNA. You can also enter product information via the productDNA user interface. However, we recommend using the HFSS excel template as it has been specifically designed to provide the easiest and most efficient way of importing your data.
You can download the HFSS excel template here.
You do need Microsoft excel in order to use the provided template. If you don't currently have access to excel, you can still upload your product data using the productDNA user interface.
HFSS compliance is legislation issued by HM Government so there is a limited amount of advice GS1 UK can provide. However, we will always endeavor to help in any way we can so do get in touch if you have any questions.
Certain cells in the template have been locked to prevent formatting issues and limit potential errors when importing your product data. All protected cells have been prepopulated and will not require any edits.
In the excel template, mandatory attributes are highlighted in green. All other attributes are optional but we strongly recommend you complete the template in full.
There is no limit to the number of products you can upload in one go but entering multiple products may increase the processing time needed to import the data.
After completing the excel template, log in to your productDNA account and import your completed template. Once your template and products are imported, you will then need to share these products to the relevant retailer individually.
You can calculate your nutrient profile score by applying the government guidance set out here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-nutrient-profiling-model
Please see our product categories list here:
| Baked product ∣ 100804 |
| Biscuit ∣ 100764 |
| Breakfast cereal and cereal snacks ∣ 100770 |
| Butter ∣ 100795 |
| Cereal (processed/prepared) ∣ 82940 |
| Cheese ∣ 100793 |
| Chewing-gum ∣ 100768 |
| Chips, mash and other potato/vegetable products/meals ∣ 82946 |
| Chocolate and Chocolate based sugar candy ∣ 100766 |
| Cooked meal with meat, fish, cereal, soy, pasta, rice, wheat ∣ 70007 |
| Dairy products ∣ 100792 |
| Dish set ∣ 82947 |
| Flour ∣ 70022 |
| Foods ∣ 80727 |
| Fruit & vegetable juices ∣ 100756 |
| Fruits, vegetables, & cereals (processed) ∣ 82938 |
| Honey ∣ 100776 |
| Ice cream & Sorbets ∣ 100771 |
| Jam ∣ 100775 |
| Non alcoholic aperitif, cocktail, beer and wine ∣ 100755 |
| Nutritional product ∣ 71566 |
| Packaged fruits, vegetables, & cereals ∣ 100799 |
| Pastas ∣ 100761 |
| Pastries, cakes ∣ 100778 |
| Preparation for chocolate drink ∣ 82922 |
| Prepared meal ∣ 82948 |
| Processed goods (savory) ∣ 100757 |
| Processed meat/Meat substitute ∣ 70020 |
| Quiche, tart, pizza, pancake, burger ∣ 100989 |
| Ready to eat - Sandwich ∣ 70005 |
| Savoury snacks ∣ 100982 |
| Soda & other soft RTDs ∣ 82920 |
| Soft drinks and ready to drink non alcoholic beverages ∣ 82918 |
| Soup ∣ 82952 |
| Sugar & sweetners ∣ 70023 |
| Sweet spread ∣ 100777 |
| Sweet, dragee, lollipop... ∣ 100767 |
| Syrup and other preparation for flavoured beverage ∣ 82921 |
| Vegan milk, vegan cream ∣ 82943 |
| Vegetable fat ∣ 82941 |
You can import your completed template in the imports section of your productDNA account. After clicking the 'Import a File' button, simply drag and drop your file into the designated area to being your import.
After importing the excel template you will now need to share your products. To do this you need to click on your product, go to the publication tab, then select the relevant retailer channel you wish to share with.
If you are receiving an error message when selecting your excel template for import, please double check that you have closed the template before selecting it.
There are a number of reasons why a product may fail to import. If you do encounter an import error, please read the error message provided to identify the source of the issue.
The speed of your import can be impacted by the number of products in your excel template. If you are importing lots of products at once, please allow some extra time.
The product data you have imported last will overwrite the existing information for that product.
To view mandatory attributes in the UI, open the product page and select a HFSS recipient and HFSS filter in the top left of the interface. This will highlight all mandatory attributes in red.
This means that the product category you have selected is not applicable. To correct this, please select one of the relevant categories found in the excel template.
Once the product has been imported, open the product page and select a HFSS recipient and HFSS filter in the top left of the interface. The data quality bar should then appear to show "satisfactory data 6/6".
This feature not available for freemium users. If you have a paid subscription, this can be done by using the filter by recipient and sharing status filters on your product catalogue.
Products cannot be deleted from productDNA. Please use the lifecycle attribute to set your product as archived. You can then use the lifecycle filter on the product catalogue to find any archived products.
Please follow our GTIN allocation standard guidelines which can be found here: https://www.gs1.org/1/gtinrules//en/
If you still have any questions that haven't been asnwered by the above, our Member support team are happy to help. Please email support@gs1uk.org to get in touch.
productDNA has a number of use cases that can help you effectively manage your product data. Please see https://www.gs1uk.org/standards-services/data-services/productdna for further information or contact support@gs1uk.org to request a consultation.
If your product is not applicable to HFSS then please select the HFSS Legal Category 0 and entering a Nutritional Value is optional.