Templates and records · ISO 22000 · Clause 8.3

ISO 22000 traceability and mock recall template

Pick a batch and rebuild, as quickly as possible, where its raw materials came from, how much was produced and who it was delivered to. Then check that the quantities add up.

In one sentence

The traceability and mock recall exercise tests the system by tracing a batch backwards and forwards, with its response time and the balance between raw materials and product, because ISO 22000 requires traceability (8.3) and the effectiveness of the withdrawal programme (8.9.5) to be verified and tested, and the evidence retained for at least the shelf life of the product.

Content reviewed on 17 October 2026

Where the standard requires it: ISO 22000 · Clause 8.3 Clauses are cited using the numbering of ISO 22000:2018, the current edition. ISO is preparing a third edition that may renumber them; when it is published it will have its own transition period.
Type of information: Mandatory record Evidence of traceability (8.3) and withdrawal (8.9.5) to be retained
Who fills it in: Quality, with logistics and production The designated recall team should take part so that the exercise also tests the response
When: At the frequency the company sets At least once a year is usual; some customers ask for more
How long it is kept: At least the shelf life of the product It is the only period the standard sets (8.3). For long-life products that period governs; for fresh products it is worth extending it to the certification cycle.

What the standard requires

What ISO 22000 demands and what it leaves to your judgement

The traceability system must identify incoming material from suppliers and the first stage of distribution of the end product, taking into account the relationship between batches of raw materials, intermediate and end products, rework and distribution. The evidence is retained for at least the shelf life of the product, and the effectiveness of the system is verified and tested. The standard suggests, where appropriate, reconciling the quantities of end product with those of ingredients.

For withdrawal, top management appoints people with authority to initiate and carry it out, and arrangements are set for notifying interested parties, including the authorities, and for handling withdrawn product. Its effectiveness is verified, for example through mock recalls, and the outcome is retained.

The standard does not set the frequency or maximum time for the exercise; customers or certification schemes usually ask for them. In the European Union, Article 18 of Regulation (EC) 178/2002 requires one-step-back, one-step-forward traceability.

Read it in context: Prerequisites, traceability and emergencies, in the ISO 22000 Academy

Structure

Fields the template should include

Date, start time and scenario simulated
Starting batch and direction: backward, forward or both
Raw materials and supplier batches identified
Production: intermediate batches, rework and quantity produced
Dispatches: customers, dates and quantities
Mass balance: inputs, outputs, stock and losses
Total response time
Communication test: customer and authority contacts checked
Problems found and improvement actions
Participants and signature

Example

Example: exercise on a batch of pumpkin soup

Company, people and figures are fictitious: the example only shows what a properly completed record looks like.

Field	Content
Scenario	Notice from a supplier: possible presence of undeclared celery in a batch of vegetable stock
Starting batch	Vegetable stock, supplier batch CV-2602 · forward direction
Production	Used in pumpkin soup batches L26-064 and L26-065: 4,800 tubs
Dispatches	Three customers: 4,200 tubs; in own warehouse, 560
Mass balance	4,800 produced = 4,200 dispatched + 560 in stock + 40 samples and losses · reconciles
Time	38 minutes from the notice to having the customer list
Communication	Emergency phone numbers for the three customers checked; one out of date
Improvement	Update emergency contacts on the customer record and review them every six months

At the audit

Mistakes auditors commonly flag

The exercise identifies customers but does not reconcile the quantities.
An easy batch is always chosen, with no rework or shared raw materials.
Only the paperwork is tested, not communication with customers and authorities.
Traceability records are destroyed before the product's shelf life has expired.
Problems found in the exercise do not lead to any actions.

In Kimobox

How this record is kept in Kimobox

1Raw material, production and dispatch batches are linked, and backward and forward queries are instant.
2The mock recall returns the list of affected batches and customers with its response time.
3Quality certificates and records hang off the batch and can be retrieved years later.
4If the ERP owns the batch, Kimobox consumes that data to attach the records to it.

Frequently asked questions

What people ask us before getting started

How often should an exercise be run?

ISO 22000 does not set a frequency: it asks you to test the effectiveness of the system. Once a year is usual, and many customers and private schemes require specific frequencies or times that are worth writing into the procedure.

What is a mass balance?

Comparing the quantity of raw material consumed with the quantity of product produced, dispatched, in stock and lost. If it does not reconcile, traceability has a gap even if it found the customers.

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Sources

Where each figure comes from

References to the official text in force. If a standard is revised, this page is updated and the review date says so.

ISO 22000:2018 — Food safety management systems. Requirements for any organization in the food chain ISO · 2018 ed., with Amd 1:2024
Regulation (EC) No 178/2002, Articles 18 and 19 (traceability and withdrawal) EUR-Lex · 28 January 2002