A supplier contacts you with a potential ingredient issue on a Friday afternoon -- and your team is already searching through paper batch records across three production lines trying to identify which finished goods lots are affected?
Retail customer audit asking for a traceability demonstration and the mock recall exercise taking four hours because lot number data is split across a goods-in spreadsheet, paper batch records, and handwritten despatch notes?
Food Traceability Software Development
A food recall triggered by a supplier ingredient issue can require you to identify every finished goods lot that contained that ingredient and every customer it was delivered to -- within hours. Custom traceability software makes that a 10-minute exercise rather than a day-long search through paper batch records and spreadsheet goods-in logs.
Built around your production process and labelling requirements. GS1 barcode formats, lot number structures, customer-specific traceability reporting, and the one-up one-down data capture your retailer codes of practice require are all configured to your operation.
Lot-level traceability from goods receipt through every production stage to finished goods despatch
Forward trace showing every customer who received product containing a specific ingredient lot
Backward trace showing every ingredient lot that went into a specific finished goods batch
GS1 barcode scanning at goods-in, production, and despatch to capture lot data without manual entry
RaftLabs builds custom food traceability software for F&B manufacturers who need lot-level ingredient traceability from goods receipt through production to finished goods despatch, mock recall capability, GS1 barcode integration, and forward and backward trace. Most food traceability projects deliver in 10 to 14 weeks at a fixed, agreed cost with full source code ownership.
100+Software products shipped
·FixedCost delivery
·10-14Week delivery cycles
·24+Industries served
One-up one-down traceability on paper is a liability, not a compliance solution
Food safety regulations -- EU Regulation 178/2002, the Food Safety Modernization Act, and retailer codes of practice -- require food businesses to be able to trace ingredients one step back to their supplier and finished products one step forward to the immediate customer. In practice, retail and foodservice customers often require full chain traceability from farm to fork and expect a mock recall to be completed within four hours. Meeting that standard with paper batch records, handwritten goods-in logs, and despatch spreadsheets is possible in theory. When an actual recall event or customer audit arrives, the reality is a production manager and two quality staff manually cross-referencing documents under time pressure.
Custom traceability software captures lot data at every stage -- goods receipt, production, and despatch -- and stores it in a connected data model. A forward or backward trace that takes hours on paper takes minutes when the lot linkages are already recorded in the system. The recall simulation your retail customer requires becomes a routine operation rather than a fire drill.
What we build
Goods-in lot recording
Goods receipt recording capturing supplier name, delivery date, purchase order reference, ingredient description, lot number, best-before or use-by date, and quantity received for each delivery. GS1 barcode scanning at goods receipt to capture GTIN and lot number data from supplier labels without manual keying. Goods-in check results linked to each intake record -- temperature at receipt, condition, quantity verification -- with pass/fail recording and quarantine workflow for rejected deliveries. Supplier lot number retained alongside your internal lot number where the two differ, so the supplier's reference is always traceable. Certificate of analysis and delivery documentation stored against the intake record for audit access without a separate document search.
Production batch recording
Production batch record linking every ingredient lot consumed to the finished goods lot produced. Ingredient issue recording showing the quantity of each ingredient lot drawn from stock for the batch, with stock balance updated in real time. Rework and returned goods recording capturing the internal lot numbers incorporated into a new batch and the quantities used. Batch record completion sign-off with the operator and supervisor confirmation required before the batch record is closed. Batch record status tracking -- open, pending sign-off, closed -- so quality and production management can see which records still need to be completed without a manual chase. The production batch record that replaces the paper worksheet and maintains the ingredient-to-product lot linkage automatically.
Finished goods and despatch recording
Finished goods lot creation from the production batch record, with lot number assigned at the point of production completion. Finished goods labelling with GS1 barcode generation for case labels in SSCC, GTIN+batch, or customer-specific format. Goods transfer recording for finished goods that move between sites or to third-party storage before despatch. Despatch recording capturing customer name, delivery date, purchase order or delivery note reference, and the finished goods lot numbers and quantities shipped. Customer-specific despatch data for retailers requiring advance shipment notification (ASN) or GS1 despatch advice documents. The despatch record that completes the traceability chain from ingredient receipt to customer delivery.
Forward and backward trace
Backward trace starting from a finished goods lot and showing every ingredient lot that went into it -- the ingredient, the supplier, the delivery date, and the lot number -- across every production stage including rework and returned goods. Forward trace starting from an ingredient lot and showing every finished goods lot that contained it, with every customer delivery that included those finished goods lots. Trace report generated in seconds from the recorded lot data, showing the complete chain from ingredient receipt to customer despatch without manual searching. Trace scope indicator showing the volume of finished goods affected and the number of customers involved, supporting rapid recall scope assessment. Trace data export in the format required for reporting to the food authority or the customer's traceability team.
Mock recall management
Mock recall workflow initiated from a specified ingredient lot or finished goods lot, generating the forward or backward trace automatically and presenting the recall scope -- affected products, quantities, and customers -- in a single screen. Recall simulation timer recording the time from initiation to completion of the trace, supporting compliance with retailer requirements for four-hour recall demonstration. Mock recall report exported for customer audit or internal review, showing the trace results and the time to complete. Customer notification list generated from the despatch records for finished goods affected by the recall, showing contact details and the quantities shipped to each customer. Mock recall history log with date, scope, and completion time for each exercise, available for inspection by auditors.
GS1 and barcode integration
GS1 GTIN and lot number data capture at goods-in and finished goods despatch using handheld or fixed barcode scanners. GS1-128 barcode generation for finished goods case labels carrying GTIN, batch/lot number, best-before date, and quantity. SSCC generation for pallet labels where customers require serialised shipping container codes. GS1 Electronic Product Code (EPC) support for RFID-enabled supply chain partners. Customer-specific barcode formats configured for retailers or foodservice operators with non-standard label requirements. Label print integration with thermal label printers at goods-in, production, and despatch. The barcode infrastructure that captures traceability data without relying on manual lot number entry at every stage.
Frequently asked questions
Most major UK and European retailers require full chain traceability -- the ability to trace from raw material supplier through every production stage to the specific customer delivery. The four-hour mock recall standard is common in retailer codes of practice. Foodservice customers typically require one-up one-down as a minimum but increasingly expect full chain. The specific traceability requirement of your key customers is reviewed during the project discovery phase so the system is built to meet the most demanding standard you need to comply with.
Yes. Multi-site traceability is a common requirement when raw materials are received at one site, processed at a second, and despatched from a third. We build the lot linkage to follow the product across site transfers so the complete chain is traceable in a single trace query. Each site's data capture is configured for its own production process while the traceability data model connects them.
Rework is recorded as an ingredient input to the batch that incorporates it, with the internal lot number of the rework material captured alongside the primary ingredients. Returned finished goods that are reprocessed carry their own lot history into the new batch record. The trace query traverses these links so a trace starting from a raw material lot surfaces any finished goods lots that incorporated rework made from that material, not just direct production batches.
A focused build covering lot-level goods-in recording, production batch records, despatch recording, and forward/backward trace typically runs $30,000 to $60,000. Adding GS1 barcode generation, mock recall workflow, multi-site traceability, and customer-specific reporting typically brings the total to $60,000 to $110,000. Fixed cost agreed before development starts, no hourly billing.
Tell us your production process, your customer traceability requirements, and how you currently capture lot data. We'll scope a traceability system that makes your next mock recall a 10-minute exercise and give you a fixed cost.
