PHILIPPINE NATIONAL STANDARD  PNS/BAFS _____:2017  
Principle for Traceability/Product Tracing as a Tool Within a Food Inspection        
and Certification System  
 
1 
 1  Scope  1 
 2 
This document elaborates a set of principles to assist responsible competent authorities in 3 
utilising traceability/product tracing as a tool within their food inspection and certification 4 
system. This document should be read in conjunction with all relevant Codex texts as well 5 
as those adopted by International Plant Prote ction Committee ( IPPC ) and World 6 
Organisation for Animal Health (Office International des Epizooties or OIE) where 7 
appropriate.  8 
 9 
Recognizing the dual mandate of the Codex Alimentarius, traceability/product tracing is a 10 
tool that may be applied, when and as  appropriate, within a food inspection and 11 
certification system in order to contribute to the protection of consumers against food - 12 
borne hazards and deceptive marketing practices and the facilitation of trade on the basis 13 
of accurate product description.  14 
 15 
2  Terms and definitions  16 
 17 
2.1 18 
inspection  19 
examination of food or systems for control of food, raw materials, processing and 20 
distribution, including in -process and finished product testing, in order to verify that they 21 
conform to requirements  22 
 23 
2.2 24 
certifica tion  25 
procedure by which official certification bodies and officially recognized bodies provide 26 
written or equivalent assurance that foods or food control systems conform to 27 
requirements. Certification of food may be, as appropriate, based on a range of ins pection 28 
activities which may include continuous on -line inspection, auditing of quality assurance 29 
systems, and examination of finished products  30 
 31 
2.3  32 
equivalence  33 
capability of different inspection and certification systems to meet the same objectives  34 
 35 
2.4 36 
responsible competent authority  37 
refers to the regulatory agency responsible for the implementation of official food control 38 
system to ensure public health and safety across the food supply chain  39 
 40 
 41 
 42  
PHILIPPINE NATIONAL STANDARD  PNS/BAFS _____:2017  
Principle for Traceability/Product Tracing as a Tool Within a Food Inspection        
and Certification System  
 
2 
 2.5 43 
traceability/product tracing  44 
ability to follow the mov ement of a food through specified stage(s) of production, 45 
processing and distribution  46 
 47 
 48 
 49 
 50 
 51 
3 Principles  52 
 53 
These principles cover the context, rationale, design and application of traceability/product 54 
tracing as a tool for use by a responsible competent auth ority within a food inspection and 55 
certification system . 56 
 57 
3.1  Context  58 
 59 
Traceability/product tracing, as defined above, is one of a number of tools that may be 60 
utili zed by  the responsible competent authority within its food inspection and certification 61 
system.  62 
 63 
An importing country should consider that a food inspection and certification system 64 
without a traceability/product tracing tool may meet the same objective and produce the 65 
same outcomes (e.g. regarding food safety, provide the same level of prote ction) as a food 66 
inspection and certification system with traceability/product tracing.  67 
 68 
It should not be mandatory for an exporting country to replicate (i.e. establish the same) 69 
the traceability/product tracing tool as used by the importing country, when  applicable.  70 
 71 
3.2  Rationale  72 
 73 
The application of a traceability/product tracing tool by a responsible competent authority 74 
should improve the effectiveness and/or efficiency of the actions that may be necessary 75 
regarding its measures or requirements within its food inspection and certification system.  76 
 77 
Traceability/product tracing is a tool that when applied in a food safety context does not in 78 
itself improve food safety outcomes unless it is combined with appropriate measures and 79 
requirements. It can contri bute to the effectiveness and/or efficiency of associated food 80 
safety measures.  81 
 82 
Traceability/product tracing is a tool that when applied in a food inspection and 83 
certification system can contribute to the protection of consumers against deceptive 84 
marketin g practices and facilitation of trade on the basis of accurate product description.  85  
PHILIPPINE NATIONAL STANDARD  PNS/BAFS _____:2017  
Principle for Traceability/Product Tracing as a Tool Within a Food Inspection        
and Certification System  
 
3 
  86 
In every case a traceability/product tracing tool should be justified within the context of 87 
the food inspection and certification system and the purpose, objectives and sp ecifications 88 
of the traceability/product tracing tool clearly described. The scope and extent of 89 
application of the tool should also be consistent with the described need.  90 
 91 
 92 
 93 
3.3 Design  94 
 95 
The traceability/product tracing tool may apply to all or specified s tages of the food chain 96 
(from production to distribution), as appropriate to the objectives of the food inspection 97 
and certification system.  98 
 99 
The traceability/product tracing tool should be able to identify at any specified stage of the 100 
food chain (from pr oduction to distribution) from where the food came (one step back) and 101 
to where the food went (one step forward), as appropriate to the objectives of the food 102 
inspection and certification system.  103 
 104 
The objectives, scope and related procedures of a food insp ection and certification system 105 
that includes a traceability/product tracing tool should be transparent and made available 106 
to responsible competent authorities of the exporting country upon request.  107 
 108 
3.4 Application  109 
 110 
The application of traceability/product  tracing should take into account the capabilities of 111 
the responsible competent authorities.  112 
 113 
If in the context of a traceability/product tracing tool , the national government cannot meet 114 
the objectives or outcomes of the food inspection and certification  system, it may consider 115 
seeking technical assistance from its trading partners.  Assistance may include longer time 116 
frames for implementation  and flexibility of design so that the objectives or outcomes of 117 
the food inspection and certification system of t he importing country can be met.  118 
 119 
A food inspection and certification system within which a traceability/product tracing tool 120 
is applied should not be more trade restrictive than necessary.  121 
 122 
The application of the traceability/product tracing tool should be practical, technically 123 
feasible and economically viable within a food inspection and certification system.  124 
 125 
In deciding whether and how to apply the traceability/product tracing tool, in the context 126 
of a food inspection and certification system the  resp onsible  competent authority should 127  
PHILIPPINE NATIONAL STANDARD  PNS/BAFS _____:2017  
Principle for Traceability/Product Tracing as a Tool Within a Food Inspection        
and Certification System  
 
4 
 take account of the assessed food safety risks and/or the characteristics of the potential 128 
deceptive marketing practices being addressed.  129 
 130 
Traceability/product tracing tool within the context of a food inspection and cert ification 131 
system should be implemented when and as appropriate on a case by case basis.  132 
 133 
4  References  134 
 135 
Codex Alimentarius Commission. Principle for Traceability/Product Tracing as a Tool 136 
Within Food Inspection and Certification System (CAC/GL 60:2006)  137