What traceability information should a private-label buyer expect?

The supplier should be able to connect the finished-product lot to incoming-material lots, production and packaging records, release status and distribution information. Buyers should agree the lot-code format, record-retention period, retained-sample practice and response time for a trace request. A mock recall or trace exercise is a useful audit topic. Traceability does not eliminate risk, but it makes investigation, containment and communication more controlled if a quality or safety issue occurs.