On this page
- Choose the correct published document
- Start with the traceability objective
- Example: introducing a new ingredient supplier
- Compare implementation support with software features
- Keep traceability and food-safety management distinct
- Common buying questions
- Primary sources and edition check
- Explore more standards buying guides
The verified individual purchase is ISO 22005:2007, which both Genorma and ISO identify as published and confirmed. This is the international ISO product. Genorma also lists an EN ISO 22005:2008 adoption within a food-safety package; if your contract requires that adoption, ask the merchant for the exact required document instead of assuming this individual ISO purchase has the same designation. Individual ISO product; ISO publication record; European adoption listed in package.
Choose the correct published document
Start with the traceability objective
The public scope provides principles and basic requirements for designing and implementing a feed or food traceability system. It applies to organisations at any stage in the chain and can help determine the history or location of products or relevant components, in support of defined objectives. Publisher’s traceability scope.
Translate that into a purchasing brief before selecting a system. Identify the product flow and the information the organisation needs to retrieve. Ask which identifiers connect the records, where information passes between parties and who resolves gaps. The required result might concern one internal process or a set of interfaces with several external organisations; those are different implementation scopes.
| Decision area | Question for the proposed provider |
|---|---|
| Objective | What specific information must the business be able to retrieve? |
| Product flow | Which ingredients, products and processing steps are included? |
| Record linkage | How will the proposed system connect identifiers and relevant events? |
| Interfaces | Which supplier, customer and internal records must work together? |
| Operation and review | Who maintains information and how will the agreed objective be checked? |
Example: introducing a new ingredient supplier
Imagine a food manufacturer adding a supplier whose identifiers and delivery records differ from those already used in the plant. Its current system can record the delivery, but the company wants to understand how that record will connect to the products made from it. A software demonstration showing a search screen does not answer the whole question.
The buyer could take a fictional delivery and ask the provider to show how its information would connect through the planned process to the relevant finished products. It could then ask what happens when an identifier is missing or changes between systems. This is an original purchasing example, not a legal recall procedure or a claim that a particular traceability depth is sufficient for every business.
Compare implementation support with software features
Ask the quotation to distinguish discovery of current information flows, design decisions, configuration, staff preparation and continuing support. A provider assuming that all source data are already complete will price different work from one that helps establish the missing records and responsibilities. State what exists and who can make the necessary business decisions.
For a system demonstration, supply a realistic example of your flow and the question you need answered. Ask the provider to explain which parts of the example are supported immediately, which require configuration and which depend on information supplied by another party. This reveals the practical boundary of the offer without mistaking a demonstration for evidence of a completed implementation.
Keep traceability and food-safety management distinct
For a food-safety management system, compare EN ISO 22000. For general quality management, see EN ISO 9001. For competence of a laboratory testing food, compare EN ISO/IEC 17025. A traceability project may interact with those activities, but its scope should remain explicit.
The ISO scope describes traceability as a tool for the organisation’s defined objectives. Avoid a proposal that implies the tool itself guarantees food safety or settles every customer and regulatory requirement. If those objectives or obligations form part of the engagement, identify them separately and obtain the appropriate project-specific review.
- Record ISO 22005:2007 as the actual individual purchase linked here.
- List the products, components and activities covered by the proposed system.
- Define the questions the organisation needs to answer from its records.
- Identify external parties whose information is necessary for those answers.
- Require the proposal to distinguish system design, configuration and continuing operational work.
Common buying questions
Does the scope cover feed as well as food?
Yes. The public scope addresses both and applies to organisations at any stage of the chain. State your own activities and objectives in the purchasing brief. Feed and food scope.
Is the 2007 year evidence of an obsolete purchase?
The checked records identify it as published and confirmed. Use the catalogue status and exact edition rather than assuming an older year proves that a final replacement exists.
Does this button buy EN ISO 22005:2008?
It opens ISO 22005:2007. If your specification requires the European designation, request that exact document from the merchant and confirm its delivery details before ordering.
Primary sources and edition check
- Genorma: published individual ISO 22005:2007 purchase
- ISO: traceability system principles, objectives and current edition
- Genorma: food-safety package lists European EN ISO 22005:2008 adoption
Publication and purchase records checked on 7 October 2026. The examples and procurement questions are original guidance. Detailed implementation requires the applicable licensed text and decisions for the actual project.
Explore more standards buying guides
Browse standards by reference and subject to compare related document choices.