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PROFILE® Overview

PROFILE® is a comprehensive database of product information for food industry products. It contains valuable marketing and specification information on a vast array of products. The information in PROFILE® includes serving suggestions, nutritional information, ingredient statements, packaging and storage information, preparation and cooking instructions and much more. This information is collected directly from the manufacturer and placed in the PROFILE® database. Manufacturers are currently asked to provide as much information as possible on their products, and to identify their products with UPC and SCC identifying codes.

PROFILE® is widely used throughout food industry channels. Industry wide acceptance of PROFILE® means that everyone in the supply chain realizes the benefits of having a single source solution. Manufacturers benefit by getting valuable information about their products into the marketplace in a very cost-effective manner. PROFILE® also provides an efficient process for maintaining that information and distributing changes to all of their trading partners. Distributors benefit by having a single solution for the information that they need to increase product sales and reduce costs. The information in PROFILE® allows a DSR to become an expert on any product. Brokers can have a complete database of information for all of the lines they represent. The database can be easily integrated into any software package, eliminating the need to carry boxes of printed materials. Operators are the real benefactors because they now have easy access to all of the information they need to make the right decisions when it comes to selecting which products to buy.

When you increase the information that is available in the marketplace and you reduce the costs associated with the flow of that information, you create a more efficient way of doing business. PROFILE® is designed to provide the vehicle for that information to flow easily and cost effectively between all trading partners. That is why it has been identified as one of the key technology enablers for Efficient Foodservice Response (EFR).

History
The PROFILE® database of product information utilizes the IFDA Standard Format. This standard format was created in 1991 by a committee of leading food industry professionals under the direction of IFDA (International Foodservice Distributors Association). The committee recognized the tremendous impact that technology was having on the industry and saw the need for a non-proprietary, standardized format for the electronic exchange of product information. Having a standard ensures that the information can be easily shared between trading partners and can be imported into any software application. AFS Technologies is a foodand beverage industry software provider that manages the database.  AFS’s software applications, sold on a subscription basis, help facilitate the exchange of PROFILE® product information among Manufacturers, Distributors, and other software companies.

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