Food and beverage
Meat industry
Traceability back to the farm of origin, and documented animal welfare.
In meat, traceability does not stop at your supplier: it reaches the farm of origin. And the question that decides a recall is always in the past tense — which farm did this batch come from, and what did that farm hold on that day.
The three modules
| What | Module | When |
|---|---|---|
| Farm and supplier approval | Trackline | At onboarding, with expiries |
| Supply agreements and specifications | Consigne | Signed, not agreed by email |
| Process and self-control records | SmartCheck | Periodic certification |
Important
What a recall asks for is the status on the batch date, not today's. A supplier approved now who was not when they supplied you is exactly what surfaces, and it only shows if the history keeps the versions with their dates.
Frameworks cited
Hygiene of products of animal origin and establishment approval, animal identification and registration, animal welfare on farm and in transport, and consumer information on origin. The exact scope depends on your activity and competent authority; confirm with your adviser.
Watch out
Animal welfare and transport documents usually sit with third parties — the haulier, the farm — and are the slowest to arrive. Requesting them at approval rather than when a customer asks is the difference.
Worth knowing
If retail chains audit you, their questionnaire changes little between editions: built as a process, the second audit costs an afternoon.
›Can it be queried by batch?
If the batch is linked to the supplier's case, yes.
›What about livestock hauliers?
Their own case, with authorisation and expiries.
›Does it help with an unannounced inspection?
That is where it shows: you show it rather than search for it.
A real case
The situation
A cutting plant receives an alert and must scope which batches came from one farm.
What you do
- Checks that farm's history with its dates
What you get
Narrows it to two weeks of intake instead of a quarter.
The situation
A client asks for the traceability of one specific box.
What you do
- Checks the cutting batch's file
What you get
You reach the intake without reconstructing anything.
The situation
Welfare documentation arrives on paper with the consignment.
What you do
- Captures it when the animal is received
What you get
The paper stops being the only copy.
The situation
Carcasses from several origins are mixed in the same shift.
What you do
- Records what went into each output batch
What you get
You can say what came from where.
The situation
A holding's certificate expires.
What you do
- Records validity on receipt
What you get
The warning arrives before the next intake.
The situation
Customers of a specific batch must be warned.
What you do
- Checks which boxes came out of that batch
What you get
Those affected are warned rather than everyone.
This article answers
- meat traceability to origin
- abattoir and cutting plant documentation
- animal welfare records
- livestock supplier approval