Traceability as a tool aiding food safety assurance on the example of a food-packing plant

Enabling the possibility of “tracing” the route of a food product is a legal requirement for all participants of the food chain. It allows identifying and monitoring traffic and use of batches of raw materials, waste products, and finished products in the entire supply chain. The case study concerning a traceability system was conducted during BRCv7 (British Retail Consortium, Issue 7) audit made for packaged soybean oil. The analysis was based on the SOP (Standard Operating Procedure), HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) procedure and records, including those concerning CCP (Critical Control Point), as well as the data from internal software Manufacturing WHM (WebHost Manager) Inquiries Version 5.2.8. and Traceability 2.1.0. for tracing batches of raw materials, additives, finished products, and clients. Verification revealed non-conformity in routine tests of the system, which was put on the list of corrective actions. Their correction was a prerequisite for meeting requirements of the standard and for system improvements. The corrective actions included complementation of the operational procedure for traceability of production and related documents with the records of supervision and verification of raw materials and packaging. The changes were introduced in the control procedure of machines and appliances in order to reduce the loss incurred while during packing oil. The employees were trained with regard to the changes introduced in the procedures, and the effectiveness of these actions was confirmed, which proved the necessity of the corrective actions undertaken.