Lot code is defined in the CanadaGAP Food Safety Manuals as:
A code that can be used to identify a lot that was manufactured, prepared, produced, stored, graded, packaged or labelled, under the same conditions. A lot code can be numeric, alphabetic or alphanumeric. Examples of lot code include: production date, best before date, establishment number, or CFIA SFCR licence number. In addition, the lot code may also be the harvest date, grower identification number, growing region or any other code that may be used for traceability purposes.
CanadaGAP has a training note available here regarding Lot Code that provides further information on the requirements. This training note contains information on why the Lot Code requirements have been added, where they are found in the manual, and general guidance to follow.
The Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) has developed a guidance document available on their website at: https://cpma.ca/docs/default-source/industry/traceability_guidance_document_for_industry_compliance_with-the_sfcr.pdf. This is a fantastic resource for operations looking for more guidance on how to meet Lot Code requirements. Within this document there is also an excellent decision tree to help operations determine if their product requires a Lot Code, as well as many visuals and practical examples that provide clarification about Lot Code requirements.
April 20th, 2021 at 11:06 am