Food recalls and traceability
Recalls happen most weeks in Ireland. The kitchens that cope best can answer one question in a minute: did we get that batch?
What the law asks
EU General Food Law (Regulation (EC) No 178/2002, Article 18) requires every food business to be able to identify who supplied its food. A business that supplies other businesses must also know which businesses it supplied. This is called one step back, one step forward. A café or restaurant selling only to the public doesn’t have to record its customers, but it does have to know its suppliers.
The FSAI’s minimum is a record of what you received and from whom, with contact details. It also advises that keeping only the minimum “may carry a high financial risk”, and recommends knowing which batches you have.
What to record for every delivery
- Supplier name and contact details
- Product, and the quantity received
- Date of delivery
- Batch or lot code, written exactly as printed
- Use-by or best-before date
- Temperature on arrival for chilled and frozen food, and whether you accepted it
Our free delivery (goods-in) log has a column for each.
When a recall comes in: the first hour
- Read the notice. Note the product, pack size, batch codes and dates affected.
- Search your delivery records for that product and batch. This is where batch codes save you: without them you may have to discard every pack of that product.
- Check your stock in every fridge, freezer and store, including anything already opened, portioned or used in prepared dishes.
- Stop using it. Take it out of use, label it clearly (“Recalled: do not use”) and keep it apart.
- Follow the instructions from your supplier or the FSAI: return, destroy or hold for collection.
- Tell your staff, and check allergen information if the recall is for an undeclared allergen.
- Write it down: what you found, how much, what you did and when.
If you find a problem yourself
If you believe food you have supplied isn’t safe, the law (Article 19 of the same regulation) requires you to withdraw it, inform the authorities and, where it may have reached consumers, tell them why. Contact your supplier and your local environmental health officer, or the FSAI Advice Line at [email protected].
Stay informed
The FSAI publishes food alerts and allergen alerts on fsai.ie, and you can sign up to receive them. Your suppliers should also contact you about recalls of what they sold you.
Making it quick
On paper, finding a batch means leafing through weeks of delivery sheets. In Hygivo, staff photograph the delivery label, the app reads the batch code and date for them to check, and anyone can search records by product, supplier or batch in seconds. See finding a delivery record by batch code and delivery records in Hygivo.
See the FSAI’s traceability FAQ and Guidance Note 10: Product Recall and Traceability. This is general information, not advice for your business. Your food safety management system (HACCP plan) and FSAI guidance are the reference. Hygivo is not affiliated with or endorsed by the FSAI.
Questions
What is traceability in food?
Being able to say where your food came from and, if you supply other businesses, where it went. EU law calls it “one step back, one step forward”: every food business must know its immediate supplier, and businesses that supply other businesses must know their immediate customer.
Do I need to record batch codes?
The law asks for the supplier, the product, the quantity and the date. Batch or lot codes aren’t strictly required, but the FSAI advises that keeping only the minimum carries a high financial risk. With batch codes you can find exactly which stock a recall affects, instead of throwing out everything.
How long should I keep traceability records?
Until it can reasonably be assumed the food has been eaten. Businesses producing or processing food of animal origin should keep them for three years. Many kitchens keep delivery records for at least a year to be safe.
What should I do if a product I use is recalled?
Find the product and batch in your delivery records, check your stock, stop using it, set it aside clearly labelled, and follow the supplier’s or the FSAI’s instructions. Write down what you found and what you did.
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