Food Product Traceability Procedures

Food product traceability procedures should effectively monitor each stage of raw food material handling. Comprehensive food traceability will take into account the previous part of the supply chain, the current status of the supply chain, and the upcoming part of the supply chain. This means recording where the material came from, how it is handled within your own facility, and who will be the next stakeholder to receive it.

Streamline Food Traceability with Food Traceability Software: Read the mini-blog here!

Think of food product traceability in three easy categories: products received, products manufactured, and products shipped. All three of these categories become interconnected as product is received, transformed through manufacturing, and shipped to customers.

Information to record as part of your food product traceability procedures will vary depending on which category you are working with. For example, when receiving product, it’s important to record what you’re receiving, where it came from, what PO it was received against, and how much was received. Traceability procedures during the manufacturing process should include issuing products out of inventory and into production batches. The details of a production batch should show which products it includes by a product’s description, quantity or volume, and serial number. Finally, shipping procedures for food product traceability should include recording what items are sent to what customer by product description, quantity, and serial number. Certain materials, such as animal products or sprouted seeds, may have more specific requirements. Additionally, handling particular products may warrant more frequent updating of your food traceability records.

Everything from packaging materials, to spices, to the final product should be recorded as part of your food traceability procedure. Traceability is a critical component of both consumer health and overall business operations.

Carlisle Technology has over three decades of experience creating advanced productivity solutions for complete optimization of food plant floors. Processors can satisfy even the most demanding food traceability requirements with our products for automated production data collection and recall reporting.

To learn how Carlisle’s software and hardware solutions can enhance food traceability procedures in your plant, visit www.carlisletechnology.com/traceability.

Written by Rice Lake Weighing Systems www.ricelake.com