A customer calls. They bought a package of your cookies last week and found something off. Your quality manager needs to answer three questions fast: which batch did that product come from, what ingredients went into that batch, and who else received product from the same batch?
That’s lot tracking. And for food manufacturers, it’s the difference between a targeted, contained response and a full-product recall.
Lot Tracking Defined
Lot tracking is the practice of assigning unique identifiers — lot numbers — to groups of products produced under the same conditions, then following those identifiers through every stage of production, storage, and distribution.
The chain: ingredient lot received from supplier, assigned to production batch, linked to finished goods lot, linked to customer shipment. This enables backward traces (which ingredient lots went into this product?) and forward traces (which customers received product from this ingredient lot?).
Why Lot Tracking Matters More Now
The FDA’s FSMA 204 rule requires food manufacturers handling FTL products to maintain Key Data Elements at each Critical Tracking Event and produce them in electronic, sortable format within 24 hours. SQF, BRC, and HACCP standards all include traceability requirements.
Five years ago, a paper-based system that could produce a trace in a day or two was acceptable. Today, the expectation is hours, not days.
How Lot Tracking Works in Practice
- At receiving. Each ingredient lot gets a unique identifier linked to the supplier’s lot code. Record quantity, date, supplier, and quality data.
- During production. The system records which ingredient lots were used. The finished batch gets its own lot number linked to all input lots.
- At shipping. The system records which lots went to which customer, on which date.
Batch-Level vs Unit-Level Tracking
Batch-level tracking means all product from a single production run shares one lot number. Unit-level tracking assigns different identifiers to subdivisions. For most food manufacturers, batch-level tracking is sufficient and practical.
How FlexiBake Helps
FlexiBake tracks lots from receiving through production to delivery. Forward and backward traces complete in seconds. The output is electronic, sortable, and exportable — exactly what auditors and regulations require.