The retailer artwork submission checklist (Coles, Woolworths and beyond)

1. The consumer unit

• Name of the food (or product) is a true description, not just a brand name.
• Ingredient list in descending order of weight; compound ingredients broken out; additives by class and name or number; characterising ingredient percentages shown.
• Allergens in bold in the ingredient list, using required names, no smaller than other ingredients.
• Separate bold 'Contains' statement directly next to the ingredient list, in the same field of view.
• Nutrition information panel in the prescribed format, per serve and per 100 g / 100 mL, servings per pack and serve size stated.
• Any nutrition content or health claim meets the conditions in Standard 1.2.7.
• Date marking words present ('best before' or 'use by') and a clear area left for the coder, confirmed with the manufacturer.
• Lot identification area confirmed.
• Supplier name and Australian business address (not a PO box).
• Country of origin standard mark generated from the government tool, at or above minimum size, percentage matches supplier records.
• Net quantity on the front, metric, at the minimum character height for the pack size (2 / 2.5 / 3.3 / 4.8 mm), clearly visible.
• Warning and advisory statements present where required, at 3 mm (1.5 mm small packages).
• All mandatory text legible and prominent with distinct contrast; nothing reversed out of a photograph or tone-on-tone; nothing on a seam, crimp or base.
• Health Star Rating position reserved (and rating calculated) if the category expects it.
• Storage and use directions present where safety depends on them.
• For non-food: the relevant regime checked instead (TGA for supplements, cosmetics information standard, AS 5812 for pet food, alcohol labelling rules).

2. The barcode

• GTIN registered through GS1 Australia; correct GTIN for this exact SKU, size and count.
• EAN-13 on the consumer unit; ITF-14 (GTIN-14) on the carton; GS1-128 with SSCC on pallet labels. No UPC anywhere.
• Magnification between 80 and 200 percent for EAN-13; between 50 and 100 percent for ITF-14. Height not truncated.
• Quiet zones clear on both sides after dieline and bleed are applied.
• Dark single-ink bars on a light ground; white underlay on metallic, film or dark packs.
• Placed flat, lower right of back panel, away from seams, corners, curves and ticket positions.
• Bar width reduction specified by the printer and applied.
• Verification report from a printed press sample, grade agreed with the retailer, filed with the product data.

3. Shelf-ready packaging

• Product identifiable from at least two faces of the tray without opening.
• Opens in one motion, no knife, perforations tested on a production sample.
• Fits the shelf depth and planogram orientation for the category (planogram obtained from the buyer).
• Consumer units face forward and are reachable to the last unit.
• Tray is mono-material and flattens for store recycling.
• Trade unit weight within the retailer's safe lifting limit.
• Tray graphics carry brand, variant and count legibly.

4. Carton and pallet

• Carton spec built to the Common Delivery Guidelines so one carton serves both Coles and Woolworths.
• ITF-14 printed at the right size with bearer bars if direct-printed on corrugated.
• Logistics label position matches the retailer's carton labelling requirements.
• Carton is robust for the DC, easy to open at store, and within safe lifting weight.
• Pallet configuration on the Australian standard footprint, no overhang, stable and wrapped.
• Two GS1-128 pallet labels on adjacent sides, capability verified with the retailer before first delivery.
• Multi-GTIN pallets labelled per the ECRA guidelines.

5. Sustainability

• Pack evaluated in APCO's PREP tool; Australasian Recycling Label artwork generated from it, not redrawn.
• Recycling claims on pack match the PREP result.
• Materials checked against the retailer's preferred materials guidance (Own Brand in particular): no problematic formats without a reason.
• Secondary packaging sustainability documentation available if the retailer asks.

6. Files and documents

• Artwork on the printer's approved dieline, at 100 percent, with bleed, trim and safe zones shown on a separate layer.
• Fonts outlined or embedded; images at print resolution; rich black and overprint settings checked; spot colours named to the printer's standard.
• Colour proof approved and signed; press-side colour standards agreed if printing at more than one site.
• Barcode supplied as vector from GS1-compliant software.
• Regulatory copy signed off in writing by the client's technologist or regulatory consultant, with the date.
• Product data, images and dimensions lodged in the retailer's system to their image spec.
• Barcode verification report, colour proof sign-off and regulatory sign-off filed together with the final PDF.

If every line is ticked, the pack will still have to earn its place with the buyer. But it will not be sent back for something that could have been checked in an afternoon.

Written by

Morice Kastoun, Founder & Creative Director

Morice Kastoun is the founder and creative director of Morice&Co., an independent Melbourne branding and packaging studio. His packaging has shipped through the compliance processes of Coles, Woolworths, Chemist Warehouse, Priceline, Petbarn, Big W, Myer and Sephora US.