An effective traceback / product recall program is an integral part of a food safety program. It permits for the investigation of potential food safety or product defects and assists in the most efficient course of action to be taken. Being able to traceback a product also has advantages to the industry because the product would be able to be pinpointed at the actual source and would not indict the entire industry, which may be the case if the source of the product was not able to be identified.
Included in the Trace Back / Product Recall Manual, located in our Manual Development Program, are Guidelines for handling regulatory inspections (also downloadable here). These are procedures for handling regulatory inspections, such as FDA traceback investigations, in the event that a product is suspected of being the cause of a foodborne disease contamination (or outbreak). When the party involved (grower, shipper, distributor) is prepared to respond timely and effectively to FDA investigations it demonstrates their food safety efforts and due diligence. To create a food safety manual please go to http://www.primuslabs.com/french/dd/index.html