Keep enough information to connect what you received with what you served. A product name or code identifies the product; batch identifiers and relevant dates help identify the particular supply. Record supplier and contact details, the product description, those batch and date details, the delivery and quantity, and where the product was used. Keep them together so your team can follow the product through your business.
Product identity and batch identity are not the same thing
Traceability follows food through production, processing and distribution, and your records cover the part of that journey your business handles. A product name or code tells you what something is. It doesn’t tell you which particular supply of it you received, and that’s usually the question being asked.
If a supplier rings about one batch of one product, knowing you buy that product doesn’t get you far. Knowing which batch arrived, when, how much you took and where it went is what lets you follow the affected supply through your records.
What to capture when a delivery arrives
MPI’s tracing food and drink guidance in the My Food Plan material describes the kinds of information that support tracing: supplier details, brand and batch identifiers, the relevant best-before or use-by dates, and linking ingredient batches to the products they end up in. They’re useful examples, though My Food Plan doesn’t cover every business, so check what applies to yours.
Information worth recording against each delivery
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Information worth recording against each delivery
Record
Why it helps
Supplier and contact
Who supplied it and who you would ring about it, without hunting for the number.
Product description and code
Identifies what the product is, in the same wording the supplier uses.
Batch identifiers and relevant dates
Helps identify the particular supply. Keep the batch identifier together with relevant date markings.
Delivery date and quantity
Tells you how much came in and narrows the window you have to search.
Where it was used
Connects the delivery to the dishes, the service dates or the customers involved.
Repacked or prepared items
Carries the link forward when the product leaves its original packaging.
Keep the link when you repack or prepare
Links get lost at the prep bench. Once meat is trimmed, mixed, portioned or moved into another container, its original label may no longer sit beside it. Plan how your records keep the prepared item connected to its original batch.
Start with the method your documented procedures already use to identify prepared items, and make sure it carries enough information to point back to the delivery it came from. Agree who does it, make it part of the prep routine, and keep the format the same across shifts so anyone can read it.
Try a simple tracing exercise
The quickest way to find the gaps is to pick a delivery and follow it. The scenario below is hypothetical, and doesn’t refer to any product, supplier or incident.
Illustrative exercise. Choose one meat delivery from the past fortnight and use only your records to answer these questions. Which supplier sent it, and who would you contact there? What was the product, and what batch identifiers and date markings did it carry? How much arrived, and on what date? Which dishes did it go into, and on which service days? Was any of it repacked, and is any still in the fridge or freezer?
Time yourself. Whichever question slowed you down is where your record keeping needs work.
On formal simulated recalls, MPI’s guidance on simulated food recalls explains that a simulation exercises traceability and recall procedures and identifies gaps. It notes that food-service businesses selling food for immediate consumption only aren’t expected to run simulated recalls or to recall meals already eaten, though they do need to understand how a supplier recall affects their ingredients and dishes. Different requirements can apply to businesses that also wholesale or sell packaged food, so check the current guidance for your own operation.
Traceability is not the same as proving origin
Traceability and product claims answer different questions. Traceability follows a particular supply through the chain. Origin and certification claims describe attributes of the product, so they need product-specific supporting information.
Your labels and delivery records may carry useful origin details. Check that those details, and any supporting specification or certification information, back the wording on your menu. A supplier’s New Zealand address or brand name alone doesn’t establish the origin of every product it sells. Ask what evidence is available for the actual product you buy, and keep it with your records.
Ask us what will be on your paperwork
Ask our team what appears on the labels and delivery documentation for the products you buy, and how to identify a batch when you need to raise a query. Bring an example of your own receiving record and we can talk through how the information fits together.
A batch identifies a particular production or supply of a product. The product name tells you which product you bought; the batch identifier and relevant dates help you trace the specific supply involved in a query. Keep both with the delivery and usage records.
MPI's guidance indicates that food-service businesses selling for immediate consumption only are not expected to run simulated recalls, but are expected to understand how a supplier recall would affect their ingredients and dishes. Businesses that also wholesale or sell packaged food sit differently. Check current MPI guidance and your verifier for your own situation.
Set out the retention period in your documented procedures using the requirements that apply to your food control plan or programme, and confirm it with your verifier. Keep records organised and accessible for that period, with a clear owner for filing and retrieving them.
