Kroger Produce Label Compliance Requirements: What Suppliers Need to Know
Kroger is the largest traditional grocery retailer in the United States, operating more than 2,700 stores across 35 states under banners including Kroger, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Fry's, Smith's, Dillons, and Harris Teeter. If you ship produce to any Kroger banner, your pallet labels must comply with Kroger's current GS1-128 specifications.
Non-compliant labels generate automated compliance charges through Kroger's vendor compliance system. Here are the current requirements.
Kroger's Mandatory Label Fields
Kroger requires the following Application Identifiers on every produce pallet label:
(00) SSCC — Serial Shipping Container Code, 18 digits. Unique to this pallet.
(02) GTIN-14 — The 14-digit Global Trade Item Number for the product. Must match the GTIN registered in Kroger's item master (accessible through Kroger's Supplier Hub).
(10) Lot Number — Batch or lot identifier. Maximum 20 characters. Required for FSMA Rule 204 traceability. Cannot be blank, cannot be "N/A."
(11) Production Date — Format YYMMDD. Kroger requires production date in addition to pack date for many fresh produce categories. This distinguishes when the product was harvested or processed from when it was packed for shipment.
(13) Pack Date — Format YYMMDD. The date the product was packed.
(15) Best Before Date — Format YYMMDD. Required for all perishable produce with a defined shelf life.
(30) Count — Number of trade items (cases) on the pallet.
Human-Readable Zone Requirements
Kroger requires the following human-readable information displayed above the barcode:
- Kroger DC number (ship-to location code)
- Supplier name and GLN (Global Location Number)
- Purchase Order number
- Item description
- Quantity and unit of measure
- SSCC in plain text
Kroger's vendor compliance guide specifies font size minimums for the human-readable zone. Text that is too small to read visually is treated as missing information.
ASN Requirements (EDI 856)
The Advance Ship Notice must be transmitted to Kroger at least 2 hours before the scheduled delivery appointment at the DC. Late ASNs generate a separate compliance charge from the barcode charges. Every SSCC on your physical shipment must appear in the ASN. Every SSCC in the ASN must be physically present on the truck.
Kroger's Compliance Charge Structure
Kroger assesses compliance charges on a per-event basis:
- Missing or unreadable barcode: $250 per pallet
- GTIN mismatch: $250 per pallet
- Missing mandatory AI field: $250 per pallet
- Late ASN: $400 per ASN transaction
- SSCC not on ASN: $250 per pallet
Multiple violations on the same shipment are charged separately. A truckload with 24 pallets where every label is missing the lot number generates 24 separate $250 charges — $6,000 on one shipment.
Kroger Vendor Compliance Disputes
Kroger allows vendor compliance disputes through the Supplier Hub portal within 30 days of the charge date. Supporting documentation must include: original label data, ASN transmission record with timestamp, and evidence the violation did not occur. Dispute approval rates are higher for Kroger than for Walmart or Costco when documentation is strong — approximately 50–65% of well-documented disputes are reversed.
What Has Changed in 2026
Kroger has strengthened its FSMA Rule 204 enforcement posture this year. Effective immediately for high-risk produce categories (leafy greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, peppers, fresh-cut produce), lot numbers must be present on every label and must be traceable back to the harvest location, harvest date, and grower identity in Kroger's traceability system. A lot number of "UNKNOWN" or a generic batch code that cannot be traced to a specific harvest event is treated as a missing lot number for compliance purposes.
If you grow or distribute any of these commodities, your label process must generate a lot number that connects to a real traceability record. This is no longer advisory — it is enforced.
Tag Verify validates your Kroger shipment data against current compliance requirements, including the FSMA-required lot number and production date fields, before generating the barcode. The validation catches missing or malformed fields before any label prints.
Generate a compliant Kroger pallet label at tagverifyapp.com — no account required.