ASN traceability errors: How to find and fix incorrect shipping data.

By the Clovero team · Published October 26, 2026 · Checked against the FDA’s rule on October 26, 2026

The short answer

An advance ship notice, or ASN, is a supplier’s electronic message saying what’s on a truck before it arrives: products, quantities, and often lot codes and dates. When one is wrong, check it against the cases at the dock, record what you can verify on the product, flag anything that conflicts, and send the supplier a specific correction. The FDA’s traceability rule doesn’t require ASNs or EDI. It names an ASN as one way a supplier can send you the lot code (FDA FAQ TTLC.3) and as one kind of reference document (21 CFR 1.1310).

What an ASN is

In North America an ASN is usually an EDI 856 ship notice; GS1 calls it a despatch advice. Some suppliers send one through a portal or as a spreadsheet instead. It typically carries the purchase order, a shipment number, an SSCC for each pallet, a GTIN for each item, quantities, and the lot and dates.

Some buyers require ASNs from their suppliers. That’s a business requirement between the two companies, not the FDA’s. The FDA says the rule doesn’t require any particular technology for keeping or sharing records (FAQ TG.1).

Common errors and what to do

These come from a September 2026 roundtable held by the Partnership for Food Traceability and the FDA, where participants described notices arriving late or with inaccurate information, notices from some facilities but not others, and notices that don’t match the product received. In one example given there, only about 23 percent of manufacturers sending ASNs were considered trusted, based on audits of their data, and about 75 percent of the data had some kind of error. That’s one example, not a measure of the industry. It’s still a good reason to check notices against the product rather than receive from them alone.

A receiving routine that catches them

1. Match the notice to the purchase order before the truck arrives: products, pack sizes and quantities.
2. Check a few cases on each pallet at the dock against the notice: product, lot code and pack date.
3. Record what you can verify on the product. The cases in front of you are the evidence.
4. When codes conflict, flag the receipt instead of choosing one, and ask the supplier.
5. Keep the ASN number as the reference document, so the receiving record points to the message it came from (21 CFR 1.1345(a)(8)).
6. Send one correction per shipment, listing each line, what the notice said and what arrived.
7. Keep a simple scorecard for each supplier: notices received, on time, and matching. Share it at review time.
8. Have a fallback for late or missing notices: receive from labels and the bill of lading.

A correction to send

Subject: ASN corrections for PO [number]

Hi [name],

We received PO [number] on [date] against your ASN [number]. A few lines didn't match what arrived:

- Line [n], [product]: the ASN shows lot [code]; the case labels show [code]. Which is right?
- Line [n], [product]: the ASN shows [quantity]; we received [quantity].

Could you confirm, and correct the ASN if needed? We've recorded what we could see on the cases in the meantime.

Thank you,
[your name]

The codes on an ASN, in brief

GTIN

Global Trade Item Number: identifies a product at a pack level, such as a case of 12 bags.

GLN

Global Location Number: identifies a business or location, such as a packing shed or a dock.

SSCC

Serial Shipping Container Code: identifies one pallet or other shipping unit.

GS1-128

The barcode on many case and pallet labels. It carries a GTIN or SSCC, plus the batch or lot and dates.

GS1 standards are voluntary. The FDA doesn’t endorse any standard, but says common standards such as GS1 can support compliance by making it easier to exchange data between companies (FDA FAQ TPTS.3).

Why it matters

Under FSMA 204, a receiver records the lot code, quantity and source for each lot of a food on the Food Traceability List (21 CFR 1.1345). If those come from a wrong notice, the error is in your records too, and you pass it on when you ship. The FDA can ask for your records within 24 hours (21 CFR 1.1455). As of October 26, 2026, it is subject to a congressional direction not to enforce the rule before July 20, 2028. Read the FSMA 204 guide

How Clovero helps

Clovero doesn’t read ASNs or EDI today. In CloTrace you can record an ASN’s number as the reference document for a receipt, and scanning the supplier’s GS1-128 case labels fills in the lot and dates from the cases themselves and refuses a label for a different product. That’s the check this guide recommends. See receiving in Clovero

This guide is a summary as of the date above, not legal advice. Some businesses and foods are exempt or have modified requirements (21 CFR 1.1305).

Sources

• Partnership for Food Traceability: PFT-FDA Roundtable Summary, September 25, 2026 Participants’ comments; PFT takes no position on them.
• FDA: Frequently Asked Questions on the Food Traceability Rule Answers cited by their FDA numbers, such as TT.2.
• 21 CFR Part 1, Subpart S: Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods The rule itself, on the eCFR.
• GS1 US: EDI Recommendations for FSMA 204 Critical Tracking Events (Release 2.0, March 2026) GS1 standards are voluntary.
• GS1 US: What is a GS1-128 barcode?
• Public Law 119-37, Division B, Section 780 (November 12, 2025) Congress’s direction not to enforce the rule before July 20, 2028.