A blank, fillable log for one mock recall — scenario, target lot, timing, backward and forward trace, mass balance, gaps, and corrective actions — so you can prove your recall system works before you ever need it.
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This is a blank log you fill in each time you run a mock recall: you pick one lot, trace it backward to its inputs and forward to its customers, and write down what the trace could and could not show. Reach for it before your next audit, when you bring on a new product or supplier, or on the schedule your certification asks for — so the first time you run the trace is not during a real recall.
A is how you find the holes in your records while nothing is on the line. SQF Edition 9 requires that you review, test, and verify the recall and withdrawal system at least once a year, and that the test cover incoming materials — — and finished product (SQF Food Safety Code, Edition 9, verified July 2026). Run it whether the real event would be a recall or a market withdrawal; the trace is the same either way. FDA draws the line between the two in 21 CFR 7.3: a recall removes a product FDA could take legal action against, while a market withdrawal handles a minor issue, or none at all.
Use one copy per exercise. Fill every blank, replace the example rows with your own, and keep the finished log — the record that the test happened is itself what the auditor checks. Download a blank copy of this template to fill in offline.
What you are simulating, and the lot you are tracing.
| Field | Entry |
|---|---|
| Facility | |
| Date of exercise | |
| Scenario (what triggered this mock recall) | |
| Product | |
| Target lot / lot code | |
| Quantity of the target lot produced | |
| Production date of the target lot | |
| Exercise led by (name, role) | |
| Others on the exercise |
Record when the trace actually started and finished. SQF Edition 9 sets no fixed time limit for a mock recall — the "complete the trace in 2 to 4 hours" bar operators talk about comes from customers and from other schemes such as BRCGS, not from the SQF code. Measure your real elapsed time and compare it against what your own customers require.
| Field | Entry |
|---|---|
| Trace started (date, time) | |
| Trace finished (date, time) | |
| Total elapsed time |
Every input that went into the target lot, and the supplier and supplier lot it came from. This is the "one step back" the standard tests.
| Input or ingredient | Supplier | Supplier lot / code | Quantity used | Received (date) | Receiving record reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (example) Cocoa powder | Andes Cacao Co. | LOT-8842 | 40 kg | ____ | Receiving log 2026-06-14 |
Every customer the target lot shipped to, and how much went to each. This is the "one step forward."
| Customer | Ship-to location | Quantity shipped | Ship date | Invoice / BOL reference | Contacted? (for a real recall) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (example) Harbor Foods Distribution | ____ | 220 cases | ____ | BOL-5571 | N/A — mock |
Reconcile what you made against what you can account for. Everything from the target lot has to land somewhere — shipped, on hand, on hold, sampled, or destroyed. The share you can account for is your .
| Disposition | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Produced (target lot total) | |
| Shipped to customers | |
| On hand in inventory | |
| On QA hold | |
| Used as samples or testing | |
| Waste or destroyed | |
| Total accounted for | |
| Percent accounted for (accounted ÷ produced × 100) |
A trace that accounts for well under 100% means product moved without a record. That is a gap to log below, not a rounding error to wave off.
Where the trace stalled, a record was missing, or the numbers did not reconcile.
| # | Gap — what the trace could not show, or where a record was missing | Where in the trace |
|---|---|---|
| (example) 1 | Two pallets shipped with no lot recorded on the BOL | Forward trace |
One row per gap. Name the fix, who owns it, when it is due, and when it was confirmed done.
| Gap # | Corrective action | Owner | Due date | Verified complete (date) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (example) 1 | Add lot capture to the shipping BOL step; retrain shift | ____ | ____ | ____ |
The recall system is only proven when someone accountable reviews the result and schedules the next test. Run this at least once a year, and again after any change to a product, supplier, or process.
| Field | Entry |
|---|---|
| Exercise reviewed by (name, role) | |
| System effective? (Y / N) | |
| Date reviewed | |
| Next scheduled test |