TRACEABILITY

What is traceability and why is it necessary to track and trace?

It is first a statutory requirement that for any thing produced a company usually should be able to track
and trace. Traceability is a term used to describe a system of being able to identify all ingredient,
material used in the production of a commodity using interpretable codes within a time frame.

Looking at my definition its a set of inter-related activities.

For those not in the industry yet, you would notice on a can of milk you have what you call Datecode on
it and batch number while it is statutory to have datecode in your raw and finished product. traceability
is not complete without the element Time.

Now a company must have its own internal batching system. why is the batching system necessary ? It is
necessary because it is the batching system that you can use to tie all the material you have used to
make a product.

NB: I have only defined one leg of traceability. The other leg of it is that you must be able to identify all
the locations where all the finished product has been shipped to.

POSSIBLE QUESTION

1. In a situation where we have different bagging point, don't u think is necessary we need include
machine number there TOO? Yes it is necessary, adding the machine line is just for root cause analysis.
it does not stop you from tracking and tracing - know what ingredient you used, and know where your
logistics team took those finished products to.

Now we have 2 forms of traceability, namely: Forward and backward traceability.

Forward traceability has to do with tracing the products from your warehouse up to the distribution
centers.

Backward treaceability involves tracing all the raw material used in the production of the finished
product.

My experience In Cocacola where i worked as a Shift Quality Manager and Later Quality manager. This is
how traceability starts.

First in making the cocacola drink. you need to identify what is being used.

1. Crown- This is usually supplied by a company and we receive COA during incoming inspection. The
COA contains the quantity of crowns as well as batch number.Once we see the batch number we now
give it our own internal lot number/batch number/code etc
2. Sugar- same thing applies. It comes from dangote so COA must come with it and same process applies
like Crown.

3. Bottle- same process as Crown applies

4. Concentrate used- same process applied.

5 Water used- of course is treated water. That water contains chemicals used in its treatement before
being take out by some process steps. You see those chemicals are called auxillary material.

All the chemicals comes with its COA and has its batch number and so we create our own internal lot
code to match with the manufacturers code.

Now the next is what quantity is produced. lets say 12,000liters and that translate to like lets say
20pallets about 4000 cases for example. this 4000cases is giving to warehouse with each pallets having a
tag containing the batch code. The warehouse distribute this 4000 cases to different depots and centers
based on sales order triggered.

Now the warehouse will have a record or use SAP to track each of the cases and where they went to.

NOTE:- For every delivery order triggered the location is always spelt out. Because Auditors will be
interested to know the....

1. Quantity produced.

2. COA for raw and packaging material as well as auxillary material.

3. Distribution outlets where all the 4000cases went to.

Note- You must be able to carry out effective traceability within 24hours.

Why is traceability necessary?

It is necessary because it help your recall process easy and seamless. If you have a food safety issue due
to a batch produced you can quickly recall those batches because you know where they all went to.

NOTE- You must maintain incoming inspection record, traceability record this is a statutory requirement
and it is non negotiable.

Now lets look out what ISO want us to do as regards TRACEABILITY- CHECK clause 7.9 if you are using
version 2005. I think 8.3 if you are using version 2018.

Now lets apply the PDCA principle to interpret the clause.

1.PLAN - is your procedure, Work instruction, Work Aid. if you look at the statement. The organization
shall establish and apply a traceability system that enables the identification of product lots and their
relation to batches of raw material, processing and delivery records. In establishing a traceability system
you must develop a procedure for it. So you see this is the reason why you have procedure for
everything you do in quality because they are statutory.

2. DO- its carrying out what you spell out in the procedure which means you have identify incoming
material- Incoming material inspection- COA, Maintain a traceability record, carry out Mock traceability
exercise( Simulation of a real life scenerio),

3. CHECK - Involves carrying a review of your DO. This is where you need to call for a management
review, Trend your results/outcome of mock traceability exercise. This checks end to end to see that you
are doing it Right.

4, ACT - After review/meetings actions will come up. The Act involves tracking all actions from the
review to ensure what is in the plan is adhered to.

It is a cycle because One step is dependent on the other.