Traceability
Traceability refers to the ability to track the movement of a food or food commodity one step forward and one step back in the supply chain.
Purpose
a) Reduce costs associated with recalls by narrowing the scope to only food that may present a risk of injury to human health.
b) Protect consumers against risk of injury to their health from hazards in your food and Increase consumer trust in the safety of the food you sell
Scope
The traceability requirements apply to a broader scope of food businesses than the licensing and preventive control plan requirements. For example, some of the traceability requirements apply to persons who sell food to consumers at retail as well as persons who send or convey food from one province or territory to another.
Documentation Requirements
Preparing, keeping, and retaining traceability documents will allow you to accurately identify the scope of a recall, and thereby ensure that consumers are protected against risk of injury to their health. If the traceability requirements apply to your business, you need to prepare and keep documents that: identify the food by indicating the: common name, lot code, the name and principal place of business owner or for whom the food was manufactured, prepared, produced, stored, packaged or labelled.
a) Trace the food one step back, if someone else provided you with it, by indicating the: date on which it was provided to you; and name and address of the person who provided it to you.
b) Trace the food one step forward by indicating the date you provide it; and name and address of the person to whom you provide it.
c) If you incorporate any food commodity into the food or derive the food from that food commodity, you should prepare and keep documents that: name the food commodity.
Document Retention and Accessibility
The documents should be kept for two years after the day on which the food was provided to you; and you provided the food to another person.
