H&L Transport Managerial Control Manual March 2014 | Page 28

RMED
TRACEABLITLIY AND MOCK RECALLS
There has long been a perpetuated myth in
the food industry about what constitutes a
mock recall.
While the industry has a good understanding
of and appreciation for the need to ensure
that it is prepared to respond to a failure that
would require removal of a product from the
marketplace, there is confusion about how to
measure readiness.
Part of preparedness involves testing the
programs that support this activity. The four
key programs are Traceability, Recall,
Record Retention, and Crisis Management.
An effective Traceability Program identifies
the quantity and location of suspect product.
• A Recall Program includes all activities
needed to remove the product from the
marketplace or intermediate handlers.
• A Record Retention Program ensures that
records associated with production of the
suspect material are readily available.
• Crisis Management involves communication,
both in-house and with customers and
suppliers, about the suspect material. There
are four types of exercises that should be
implemented to test these key programs:
Trace Exercise, Mass-Balance, Vertical
Audit, and Mock Recall. You prepared in
Mass-Balance
Mass-Balance is a component of a raw
material traceability exercise. It is a
reconciliation exercise that involves matching
up the quantity of material received with the
quantity of material produced:
Mass = Weight
Balance = Reconciliation
This is done to ensure that the amount of
suspect material identified is logical.
Trace Exercise
There is a common misunderstanding in the
food industry that a Mock Recall involves
selecting a material (raw material or finished
good) and identifying the first point of
distribution for the entire quantity. However,
that particular process is actually a
Traceability Exercise. This exercise acts as
an accounting program, not for finances, but
for m