Hi all,
I work at a small Food Wholesaler and Distribution company that has two production lines. We distribute over 450 SKUs of product and "process" (ie. repack from bulk into smaller pouches) about 25 products. We have a diverse product line from Grains and Cereals, Confectionary (chocolate bars, trail mixes, candies), Nuts & Nut Snacks, Instant Coffee, Chocolate Bars and Asian products (Soo Jerky products and Asian snacks).
We our working towards certification to SQF and are struggling with the Traceability clause which affects our ability to effectively perform a Recall.
Currently, we are documenting all information (Lot/Batch numbers) from our Suppliers, but we DO NOT record these lots on the Pick Slip or Invoices when shipping to customers because of the time it would take to record them, therefore we do not have specific lot number traceability. Is it acceptable to claim that in the case of a Recall, we would withdraw or recall ALL of the affective product from ALL customers regardless of lot number?
I can't understand why this issue hasn't come up in previous CFIA audits but apparently this explanation was found to be acceptable. I'm sure it is not for SQF (or for any Food Safety Standard).
Does anyone have any suggestions of how to handle full traceability with so many products? We have a software program but at the moment there is no traceability function.
Any feedback or suggestions would be most appreciated,
Thanks so much, Linda