Part 1 in understanding the new Tracability Rule. Your Traceability Toolkit: Key Receiving Records for RFEs and Restaurants. The Food Traceability Rule (under FSMA Section 204) aims to enhance the safety of the U.S. food supply. For Retail Food Establishments (RFEs) and restaurants, compliance primarily revolves around maintaining receiving records—a critical tracking event (CTE).
What Records Must You Keep for Your Traceability Toolkit?
When receiving food, you generally must maintain and link the following Key Data Elements (KDEs) to the food’s traceability lot:
- Traceability lot code for the food.
- Quantity and unit of measure of the food.
- Product description for the food.
- Location description for the immediate previous source of the food (your supplier).
- Location description for where the food was received (your RFE/restaurant).
- Date you received the food.
- Location description for the traceability lot code source, or the traceability lot code source reference.
- Reference document type and reference document number (e.g., invoice number).
💡 Good to know: In most cases, your supplier (the shipper) will provide the majority of these KDEs via documents like bills of lading, invoices, or packing lists. It’s your responsibility, however, to ensure you maintain all the required KDEs.
Special Case: Receiving from Exempt Suppliers
If you receive food from a person who is exempt from the full rule, you still need to maintain a subset of KDEs linked to the food’s traceability lot:
- Quantity and unit of measure of the food.
- Product description for the food.
- Location description for the immediate previous source of the food.
- Location description for where the food was received.
- Date you received the food.
- Reference document type and reference document number.