How do I judge a co-packer’s recall plan and lot tracing records?

Start with a live test. Choose a lot yourself and ask for every ingredient supplier lot, production date, line and shipment that touched it. Note how long it takes and whether the pieces agree with each other. A co-packer that needs a day to reconstruct the story will struggle during a real event.

Then read the plan. Check who is named, whether contact details are current, and whether the plan has ever been rehearsed. Ask for results of any mock recall and what was changed afterwards. Find out how the plan deals with customer notifications, held stock and the cost of retrieval, and who pays for each. Finally, ask about history. Has any product been recalled, withdrawn or put on hold, and how was it handled? Look at customer contracts for who carries responsibility. Ask about insurance that covers recall costs. Have your lawyer review the contract terms and an independent food safety adviser assess the quality of the records. Keep the result of the trace test. If it went well, you have something concrete to rely on. If it went badly, you have a specific list of fixes to discuss with the seller before you decide whether to continue.

Key takeaways

• Run a timed trace on a lot you choose, backward and forward.
• Ask whether the recall plan has been rehearsed and what changed afterwards.
• Review who pays for recall costs in customer contracts and insurance.