FSSC 22000 Version 7, BRCGS Issue 9 and GLOBALG.A.P. IFA v6 all require a traceability system that can identify product one step back and one step forward. BRCGS and GLOBALG.A.P. require it to be tested at least once a year, and FSSC 22000 requires the system to be tested and the withdrawal procedure exercised. BRCGS Issue 9 clause 3.9 expects the test to be completed within four hours, most retailers in Southern Africa expect the same, and several ask for two. At sites running paper and spreadsheets the exercise regularly takes a full day and ends with a mass balance that does not reconcile. At sites running digital traceability the same exercise takes about fifteen minutes, most of it spent checking that the numbers are right rather than finding them.
What a traceability test actually asks
The auditor or the retailer picks a finished product lot, often from a delivery note three months old, and asks three questions. Which raw material lots went into it, from which suppliers, received on which dates. Which customers received product from the same finished lot, in what quantities. And does the quantity produced reconcile with the quantity of raw material used, the quantity dispatched, the quantity in stock and the quantity scrapped. The first two are a trace. The third is a mass balance, and it is the one that catches sites out, because it exposes every unrecorded rework, every partial pallet and every stock adjustment made without a reason.
Why paper and spreadsheets struggle
Traceability on paper is a chain of documents that were each written for another purpose. The goods received note, the batch sheet, the packing record, the dispatch note. Each one carries a lot number if somebody wrote it in, and the chain breaks at the first one that was not. Spreadsheets improve on this until two people edit the same file, or a lot number is typed with a space in it. The result is a trace that takes hours of cross-referencing and a mass balance that is reconciled by adjustment rather than by evidence.
How digital traceability is built
On ASCloud’s traceability module every raw material receipt creates a lot with the supplier, the supplier’s lot number, the date and the quantity. Every production run consumes lots and creates a finished lot, with quantities recorded at each step. Every dispatch allocates finished lots to customers. The chain is created as a by-product of the work, not as a separate record, which is why it is complete. Rework and scrap are recorded as movements with a reason, so the mass balance is a report rather than a reconstruction.
A trace is then a search. Enter the finished lot and the system shows every raw material lot and supplier behind it and every customer in front of it, with quantities and dates, and the mass balance for the run. Enter a supplier lot and it shows every finished lot and customer affected. That second direction is the one that matters in a real incident, because the first sign of trouble is usually a supplier notification.
Running the 15-minute mock recall
Pick the lot. Run the backward trace and print or export it. Run the forward trace. Open the mass balance for the run and check that produced, dispatched, in stock and scrapped add up to within the tolerance your procedure allows. Record the exercise in the system as a traceability test, with the start and end times, the result and any actions. Most of the fifteen minutes is spent on the last step. The exercise also shows the auditor something a paper trace cannot, which is the time it would take in a real recall when the retailer is on the phone.
Traceability and production planning together
Traceability records what was made. Production planning records what will be made, with which materials, on which line. Running both on the same system means the plan allocates the raw material lots and the trace follows the plan, which closes the gap between what was scheduled and what was recorded. ASCloud prices traceability at R1,690 per site per month alone, or R2,100 with production planning. The combination is worth it for sites with more than one line or more than a handful of raw materials, because the planning step is where lot allocation goes wrong on paper.
Looking ahead to export requirements
South African exporters to the United States should note that the FDA’s Food Traceability Rule under FSMA section 204 has a compliance date of 20 July 2028 for foods on the Food Traceability List, including listed fresh produce, certain cheeses, shell eggs and ready-to-eat deli salads. It requires key data elements to be recorded at critical tracking events and produced to the FDA within 24 hours. A digital traceability system that already records lots at receipt, transformation and shipping is most of the way there.
Traceability that runs itself
Lots created as a by-product of receiving, production and dispatch. Backward and forward trace in seconds, mass balance as a report. R1,690 per site per month, or R2,100 with production planning.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need barcodes or scanners?
No. Lot numbers can be selected or typed. Scanning speeds it up and reduces errors, and the app can use the phone camera as a scanner.
Can it trace through rework?
Yes. Rework is recorded as a movement from one lot into another with a reason, so it appears in both the trace and the mass balance.
Does it integrate with our ERP?
ASCloud can exchange receipts, production and dispatch data with ERP and accounting systems such as SAP and Sage. Integration is quoted per site after a short scoping call.
How often should we run a mock recall?
At least annually for certification, and most retailers expect at least one a year with evidence. Many sites run one a quarter because on a digital system it costs fifteen minutes.