# Batch / Production Record

This is the one record that ties a finished lot back to every ingredient lot that
went into it. Fill one out for every batch you make, as you make it — it is the join
between your backward trace and your forward trace, and the first document a recall or
an audit asks to see.

A batch record captures, for a single batch, what recipe and version you ran, which
specific lot of each ingredient and package you consumed, the process and CCP readings,
how much good product came out, the finished lot code, who ran it, and QA's release
decision. On the way in you record the input lots; on the way out you assign one
finished lot code to everything the batch produced. Those two halves are lot genealogy:
the full chain that links a raw ingredient lot through the batch that consumed it to
every case shipped, traceable in both directions.

Print one record per batch and fill it in on the floor as the batch runs — the
ingredient lots as you weigh them, the checks as you take them, the yield as you count
it, the sign-off when QA releases. Filling it from memory at the end of the day is how
lot codes get guessed and genealogy breaks.

The example specs here — every temperature, critical limit, fill weight, and yield
number — are illustrations to make the columns legible. Your specs and critical limits
come from your own recipe, your own hazard analysis, and your own validation. Replace
every example with your real values before this record goes to the floor.

CCP: mark In when a reading meets the critical limit, Out when it does not. Every Out
needs a corrective action before the finished lot can be released.

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## Batch header

Fill this in first, before the batch starts. The finished lot code is the identifier
the rest of your records — shipping, sales, any recall — will point back to, so assign
it here and carry it through.

| Field | Example | Your entry |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Product / recipe name | Original Hot Sauce, 8 oz | |
| Recipe version / revision | Rev. 4 (2026-05-02) | |
| Batch number | B-2026-0714 | |
| Finished lot code | HS8-260714 | |
| Planned batch size | 500 jars | |
| Production date | 07/14/2026 | |
| Shift / line / room | Day / Line 2 / Kitchen A | |
| Operator (name + initials) | Jordan Reyes / JR | |

## Ingredient lots consumed

One row per input — every ingredient and every package. Write the exact lot code you
took off the container you used, not the material's general name. This is the
backward-trace half of genealogy: if any one of these input lots is later recalled by
your supplier, this record is what tells you it landed in the finished lot.

| Ingredient / material | Supplier | Input lot code | Quantity used | UOM | COA / cert on file? |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| (example) Tomato paste | Valley Foods | TP-2406-118 | 42.0 | kg | Y |
| (example) Sea salt | Coastal Minerals | SLT-0725 | 3.5 | kg | Y |
| (example) Cayenne blend | Pepper Co | CAY-240611 | 1.2 | kg | Y |
| (example) Distilled vinegar | Valley Foods | VIN-2405-77 | 18.0 | L | Y |
| (example) Glass jar, 8 oz | PackRight | JAR8-2406 | 500 | ea | N/A |
| (example) Cap + seal | PackRight | CAP-2406-12 | 500 | ea | N/A |
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## Process steps and in-process checks

The operational sequence and the quality checks that are not critical control points —
blend, fill weight, seal, label. Record the target, the actual reading, the time, and
initials for each step. Food-safety critical readings go in the CCP section below.

| # | Process step | Target / spec | Actual reading | Time | Initials |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| (example) 1 | Combine + heat kettle | Batch blended, reaches temp | 194°F, uniform | 08:40 | JR |
| (example) 2 | Hold and blend | Hold >= 10 min | Held 12 min @ 192°F | 08:52 | JR |
| (example) 3 | Fill and cap | 8.0 oz +/- 0.2, cap torque in spec | 8.0 oz avg, torque ok | 09:15 | MP |
| (example) 4 | Cool and label | Labeled with the finished lot code | Lot + date printed, checked | 09:40 | MP |
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## Critical control point readings

The food-safety-critical readings for this batch. Each CCP's critical limit comes from
your HACCP plan, and the daily detail belongs in your standalone CCP monitoring log —
this section pins the readings that applied to this batch. Mark In when the reading meets
the limit and Out when it does not; every Out needs a corrective action before the
finished lot can be released.

| CCP | Critical limit | Reading for this batch | Time | In / Out | Corrective action (if Out) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| (example) CCP-1 Cook | >= 165°F, held 15 s | 194°F, held 12 min | 08:52 | In | — |
| (example) CCP-3 Metal detect | Reject on ferrous / non-ferrous / stainless test | Test wands fired, reject confirmed | 09:20 | In | — |
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## Yield reconciliation

Count the good product at the end of the batch and reconcile it against what the recipe
was scaled to make. The planned units should equal the good units plus everything that
did not become sellable product. When the two sides do not balance, you have product you
cannot account for — find it before you release the lot.

| Line | Example | Your entry |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Planned yield (recipe x batch size) | 500 jars | |
| Good units produced (released quality) | 476 jars | |
| QA / retention samples pulled | 4 jars | |
| Rejects (underfill, seal, damage) | 12 jars | |
| Line loss / spillage (not packed) | 8 jars | |
| Accounted total (good + samples + rejects + loss) | 476 + 4 + 12 + 8 = 500 jars | |
| Yield % (good / planned x 100) | 476 / 500 = 95.2% | |

The accounted total must equal the planned yield — in the example, 476 + 4 + 12 + 8 =
500, so every jar the batch was scaled to make is accounted for. If your accounted total
falls short of the planned yield, the gap is unexplained product: do not release until
you have found where it went. For cook and reduction processes, weight yield runs below
100% from evaporation alone, so track it separately from unit count rather than treating
the loss as missing product.

## QA release sign-off

The finished lot does not ship until QA reviews this record and records a decision.
Mark each check, set the disposition, and sign. The finished lot cannot leave until this
decision is recorded.

| Release check | Pass / Fail / N/A | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Batch record complete — every field and every input lot filled | | |
| All CCPs In, or every deviation closed and product dispositioned | | |
| Finished product meets its spec | | |
| Allergen and label verified for this run | | |
| Certificate of analysis issued, if required | | |

| Finished lot code | Disposition (Released / On hold / Rejected) | QA reviewer (name, role) | Date | Signature |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| (example) HS8-260714 | Released | Sam Ortiz, QA Lead | 07/14/2026 | ____ |
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