Ask the Collective

Does changing a product's ABV percentage require issuing a new GTIN code?

The answer depends on your customer base and their stock-tracking requirements. **Theoretical vs. practical approach:** - Technically, any change in product specification (including ABV) should trigger a new GTIN to allow proper tracking and differentiation in systems - In practice, some customers—particularly wholesalers and retailers—find processing new barcodes administratively burdensome and may resist the change - Several members take the cautious approach of issuing a new code for any spec change to avoid future compliance or tracking issues **Key consideration:** Check with your primary customers (especially major retailers or wholesalers) before deciding. If they use the GTIN to distinguish between different stock batches or have integrated systems, they'll likely require a new code. If they're less formal about it, you may get pushback on the administrative overhead.