Traceability

Traceability lets you track ingredients from vendor to customer—essential for recalls, quality control, and food safety compliance.

Overview

PrepStation tracks two identifiers:

These IDs link together to create a complete chain of custody.

Tracing Directions

Forward Trace

Start with a vendor lot and find everything it touched.

Vendor Lot #ABC123
    │
    ├──► Inventory Transaction (received 50 lbs)
    │
    ├──► Production Batch #P001 (used 10 lbs)
    │        └──► Sold to Customer A, Customer B
    │
    └──► Production Batch #P002 (used 15 lbs)
             └──► Sold to Customer C

Use for: Recalls, identifying affected customers

Backward Trace

Start with a production batch and find all ingredients that went into it.

Production Batch #P001 (Chicken Soup)
    │
    ├──► Chicken - Lot #MEAT-456
    │
    ├──► Carrots - Lot #VEG-789
    │
    └──► Chicken Stock (Prep Recipe) - Batch #PREP-001
             │
             ├──► Chicken Bones - Lot #MEAT-123
             └──► Onions - Lot #VEG-234

Use for: Quality investigation, identifying ingredient sources

Running a Trace

Navigate to Reports → Traceability

Forward Trace

1. Enter a Vendor Lot Number
2. Click Trace Forward
3. View all productions and customers affected

Backward Trace

1. Enter a Production Batch ID
2. Click Trace Backward
3. View all ingredient lots used

Recall Reports

When you need to identify affected products for a recall:

1. Enter the vendor's lot number
2. Run a forward trace
3. Export the affected productions and customers
4. Use production allocations to identify specific orders

Recording Lot Information

For traceability to work, lot numbers must be recorded:

When Receiving Inventory

• Enter Vendor Lot Number on purchase receipts
• Record Expiration Date if applicable
• Record Manufacture Date if provided

During Production

• Batch IDs are generated automatically
• Ingredient lots are recorded when processing
• Substitutions are logged with reasons

Common Questions

Q: What if I don't have lot numbers from my vendor?
A: You can still track at the transaction level. Each inventory receipt creates a record, even without a vendor lot number.

Q: How far back does tracing go?
A: Tracing follows the complete chain—through prep recipes, to raw ingredients, to vendor lots. There's no limit to depth.

Q: Are substitutions included in traces?
A: Yes. Substitutions are recorded with the original ingredient and replacement, appearing in both forward and backward traces.

Next Steps

• Batch Production — Execute production with proper tracking
• Inventory Basics — Set up inventory receiving