Episode 3: Traceability During Receiving and Stock Rotation Practices

In the third episode of the Traceability in Food Businesses video series, we discuss what type of traceability information to document at the point of receipt for incoming materials, as well as the basics of proper stock rotation practices.

To ensure traceability of materials throughout an operation, a company must document key information at the point of receipt, such as the date that the materials were received, the name or initials of the receiving employee, the material name/item number, the supplier’s name, the material lot code and use-by date, and the quantity received. If a site receives materials from different lot codes on the same delivery, they should record the amount of material received under each lot code.

Once materials are received into a facility, proper stock rotation helps to ensure that materials are selected for use in a manner that avoids using expired or obsolete materials. Stock rotation practices are based on the principles of FIFO or FEFO. FIFO (First-in, First-out) is the practice of using materials in the order in which they are received. FEFO (First-expired, First-out) is the practice of using materials based on the order in which they expire, regardless of when they were received. Whether a site adopts FIFO or FEFO as their stock rotation practice will depend on the type of operation involved. For example, a site that uses highly perishable ingredients, such as fresh produce, would want to adopt FEFO to avoid instances of material waste or inadvertently using expired ingredients.

In our next video in the Traceability series, we discuss the topics of batch records and traceability of WIP and rework materials.

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