Traceability

How it is used

A legal requirement in the EU and Turkey and a key audit topic. Companies run traceability exercises, also called mock recalls, linking the batch codes of raw materials and packaging to finished products and customers. A good result traces 100 percent of the quantity within a few hours.

Example sentences

1. The traceability exercise took three hours and accounted for all 4,200 kg of sugar.

2. Without proper traceability, we would have to recall every product made that week.

Common collocations

• traceability system
• traceability exercise
• full traceability
• one step back, one step forward
• ensure traceability

Related terms

• batchA quantity of product made at one time, under the same conditions and from the same materials, so that it can be identified and traced as one unit.
• recallThe removal of an unsafe or illegal product from the market, including from consumers, after it has already been sold or distributed.
• raw materialA basic material, such as milk, flour, fruit or meat, that a factory receives and processes to make its products.
• auditA planned, systematic check of a factory, its documents and its practices by an auditor to see whether they meet a standard, a customer's requirements or the law.
• good manufacturing practiceA set of basic rules and procedures for buildings, equipment, staff, hygiene and documentation that make sure food is produced consistently and safely.

More terms: Regulations and Standards

• Codex Alimentarius
• maximum residue limit
• food fraud