Overview

General principles and basic requirements for designing and implementing a feed and food traceability system, applicable to organizations operating at any step of the feed and food chain. Reviewed and confirmed in 2022.

ISO 22005:2007 gives the principles and specifies the basic requirements for the design and implementation of a feed and food traceability system. It can be applied by an organization operating at any step in the feed and food chain — primary production, feed manufacture, food processing, packaging, distribution, retail or food service. The publication was last reviewed and confirmed in 2022, so this version remains current.

What the standard does. It allows organizations to trace the flow of materials — feed, food, their ingredients and packaging — through their part of the chain; to identify the documentation and tracking needed at each stage of production; to ensure adequate coordination between the different actors involved; and it requires that each party be informed of at least their direct suppliers and their direct customers. That last point, sometimes called "one step back, one step forward", is the minimum traceability capability the standard establishes, and it is also the basis of most food traceability regulation worldwide.

ISO 22005 uses the same definition of traceability as the Codex Alimentarius Commission, which matters because it keeps the standard aligned with the international food regulatory reference point rather than introducing a competing definition.

Designing a traceability system. The standard is deliberately objective-driven rather than prescriptive about technology. An organization first defines the objectives of its traceability system — which may include supporting food safety, meeting regulatory obligations, verifying product claims such as origin or organic status, managing recall and withdrawal, or improving process efficiency — and then designs the system to meet those objectives. Design decisions include the definition of the product, batch or lot; the traceable units and how they are identified; the data to be recorded at each step; how records link inputs to outputs where materials are mixed, split or transformed; retention periods; and the procedures for retrieving information when it is needed urgently.

Verification and testing. A traceability system is only as good as its demonstrated ability to retrieve information under pressure. The standard covers verification of the system, including internal audit, and the practice of conducting traceability exercises — mock recalls that test whether the organization can identify affected product and its distribution within a workable timeframe.

Relationship to food safety standards. ISO 22005 complements ISO 22000, the food safety management system standard, which itself requires a traceability system; ISO 22005 explains how to design one. ISO 22002-1 covers prerequisite programmes for food manufacturing. Traceability is also a core requirement of GFSI-recognized schemes such as FSSC 22000, BRCGS and IFS.

Certification. ISO 22005 is not a management system standard and ISO does not operate a certification scheme against it, although some certification bodies offer commercial traceability assessments referencing it. Organizations seeking accredited food safety certification certify to ISO 22000 or to a GFSI-recognized scheme, within which traceability is assessed.

Purpose

To set out the principles and basic requirements for designing and implementing a traceability system in the feed and food chain, enabling organizations to trace material flow, coordinate with supply chain partners and support recall and verification objectives.

Key Benefits

• Structured method for designing a traceability system around defined objectives
• Aligned with the Codex Alimentarius definition of traceability
• Establishes one-step-back, one-step-forward supply chain visibility
• Supports faster and more precise product recall and withdrawal
• Helps substantiate product claims such as origin, variety or production method
• Applicable at any step of the feed and food chain and to organizations of any size
• Complements ISO 22000 and GFSI-recognized certification schemes

Key Requirements

• Define the objectives of the traceability system
• Define the products, lots or batches and the traceable units to be identified
• Identify the position of the organization in the feed and food chain
• Define the information to be collected and recorded at each step
• Establish links between inputs and outputs where materials are mixed, split or transformed
• Maintain records of at least direct suppliers and direct customers
• Define documentation, record retention periods and retrieval procedures
• Assign responsibilities for operating the traceability system
• Verify the system through internal audit and traceability exercises
• Review and improve the system when products, processes or partners change

Who Needs This Standard?

Food and feed manufacturers, primary producers and agricultural cooperatives, packers and distributors, retailers and food service operators, quality and food safety managers responsible for recall readiness, and organizations substantiating origin or production method claims.

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