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8.3

Traceability system

ClauseUnchanged titleRetrieved 2026-10-19Last updated: 2026-10-19

The requirement that applies today

The traceability system has to identify incoming material uniquely from the supplier and identify the first stage of the end product’s distribution route. As a minimum it links each incoming batch, ingredient and semi-finished item to what it becomes, covers reworking, and covers where the finished product goes. The organization identifies the legal, regulatory and customer requirements, keeps records for a defined period that covers at least the shelf life, and verifies and tests that the system works.

ISO 22000:2018, 8.3 Traceability system; ISO/DIS 22000:2026, 8.3.

What the draft does

Unchanged title: The public contents keep 8.3 at the same number and title. No structural change is shown.

Source: public contents and foreword at 8.3, retrieved 2026-10-19.

Why this clause matters

Traceability is the clause that decides how a recall goes. The test is not whether a system exists but whether a lot can be traced forward and back, with quantities that reconcile, in the time the customer or regulator expects. The revision keeps the requirement, and a transition is a good moment to run a full test rather than a paper one.

Suggested evidence to discuss with your auditor

For 8.3, these are the artefacts we suggest discussing with your auditor. The standard publishes no evidence list, so this is our reading, not a requirement.

  • A mass balance for one lot: input quantity against output and waste
  • A forward and backward trace completed within the target time, with timings
  • The retention period and the evidence that records are kept for it

Where systems usually fall short

  • A trace that follows documents but does not reconcile quantities
  • Rework and by-products left out of the trace

How to prepare

Run a trace on a product with rework, on a day with a shift change. Time it and reconcile the quantities. The gaps you find are the ones a recall would find under pressure.

Dates

Applies todayISO 22000:2018 as amended in 2024, the edition published today; certificate treatment after a new edition depends on the transition arrangements
DraftISO/DIS 22000:2026, DIS ballot closed 2026-07-29
Planning date2027-09-12 (estimate, not an ISO date)

Cross-references

7.5.3, 8.9.4, 8.9.5, 9.1.2

Source

Clause 8.3. Current edition: ISO 22000:2018. Draft: ISO/DIS 22000:2026. Retrieved 2026-10-19. The full DIS text for 8.3 is sold by ISO and not held here; the sources page lists what is.

Not legal advice; does not certify; our words, not the standard's, and the planning date is an estimate.