Food Traceability Recall and Incident Management

Programme Summary

Develop the systems and decision skills needed to trace affected food, contain distribution and coordinate a proportionate incident response. Participants link supplier, production and customer records, reconcile quantities and practise recall communications. A timed tabletop exercise reveals traceability gaps and helps teams define responsibilities, escalation points and effectiveness checks before an actual product incident occurs.

Training Objectives

1 Strengthen product identification and batch linkage controls; 2 Improve readiness for timely food incident decisions; 3 Clarify recall responsibilities and stakeholder communication routes; 4 Develop practical quantity reconciliation and effectiveness checks; 5 Support learning from exercises and actual incidents.

Learning Outcomes

1 Trace a batch through supplied transaction records; 2 Reconcile distributed retained and unaccounted product quantities; 3 Define containment and escalation for an incident; 4 Draft clear stakeholder instructions for product withdrawal; 5 Evaluate recall exercise results and improvement actions.

Target Audience

Recall coordinators; Food safety managers; Supply chain managers; Quality assurance officers; Warehouse managers; Customer service managers.

Target Industries

Food manufacturing; Food importing; Wholesale distribution; Food retail chains; Beverage production; Ingredient supply.

Course Contents

• Module 1 Incident and Recall Foundations: Unsafe food and information triggers; Withdrawal recall and containment distinctions; Defined authority and escalation responsibilities.
• Module 2 Traceability System Design: Supplier material and batch identification; Production rework and packaging linkages; Customer dispatch and distribution records.
• Module 3 Traceability Performance Checks: Scope breadth and retrieval time; Quantity reconciliation and unexplained differences; Record accuracy and system interface failures.
• Module 4 Incident Assessment and Containment: Collecting facts and assessing uncertainty; Segregation distribution blocks and product holds; Escalating significant consumer safety concerns.
• Module 5 Recall Planning and Coordination: Recall team roles and alternates; Contact lists and notification responsibilities; Jurisdiction and customer specific requirements.
• Module 6 Communication and Product Recovery: Clear product identifiers and action instructions; Consistent customer and public information; Returned goods control and disposition records.
• Module 7 Tabletop Recall Exercise: Activating the plan using a scenario; Tracking decisions quantities and communications; Checking notification and recovery effectiveness.
• Module 8 Closure and Improvement: Evidence supporting incident closure; Root cause corrective action and verification; Reviewing exercise findings and plan changes.

Assessment

• 40 single best answer questions, including applied scenarios; one mark per question.
• 60 minute invigilated digital examination with identity verification. Approved accessibility adjustments preserve the assessed competence.
• Supplied records, contact matrix and recall template allowed; internet, AI and personal notes prohibited.
• Individual applied assessment (30 minutes): Run an individual tabletop recall using supplied batch records. Define affected scope, reconcile quantities, draft a customer instruction and escalation log, then identify gaps and effectiveness checks requiring follow-up.
• Assessment criteria: Accurate scope and quantity reconciliation; Timely containment and clear communication; Traceable decisions and effectiveness review.
• Pass each component separately: 30/40 written marks (75%) and at least 70% on the applied task.
• All mandatory criteria must pass: Do not exclude implicated batches without supporting evidence; Escalate a credible consumer safety concern without waiting for perfect information.
• Individual results and feedback are provided. One reassessment may follow coaching under the published enrolment terms.

Certification

• Successful learners receive a TQCSI Arabia digital Certificate of Successful Completion.
• The certificate records the learner name, exact programme title, teaching hours, completion date and unique verification reference.
• Verified identity, full attendance and separate written and applied passes are required; all mandatory critical criteria must be met.
• Proposed issue target: within 30 calendar days of approved results and settlement of applicable fees.
• Records assessed traceability and recall exercise skills; it does not approve a recall plan or authorise regulatory communications on behalf of a business.
• Attendance confirmation may record completed hours for unsuccessful learners; it does not certify successful completion.

Programme Profile

Number of daysNumber of daysNumber of days

222

Total teaching hoursTotal teaching hoursTotal teaching hours

12 hours; breaks, pre course work and formal final assessments excluded.12 hours; breaks, pre course work and formal final assessments excluded.12 hours; breaks, pre course work and formal final assessments excluded.

Delegates allowedDelegates allowedDelegates allowed

Maximum 20 delegates.Maximum 20 delegates.Maximum 20 delegates.

Training prerequisitesTraining prerequisitesTraining prerequisites

Basic food-safety knowledge is required. Familiarity with purchasing, production, stock or distribution records is recommended.Basic food-safety knowledge is required. Familiarity with purchasing, production, stock or distribution records is recommended.Basic food-safety knowledge is required. Familiarity with purchasing, production, stock or distribution records is recommended.

Pre course assignment and assessmentPre course assignment and assessmentPre course assignment and assessment

Spend 30 minutes tracing a sample lot through supplied supplier, production and dispatch records, identifying missing links.Spend 30 minutes tracing a sample lot through supplied supplier, production and dispatch records, identifying missing links.Spend 30 minutes tracing a sample lot through supplied supplier, production and dispatch records, identifying missing links.

End of course assessmentEnd of course assessmentEnd of course assessment

40 question written exam (60 minutes) and individual applied task (30 minutes).40 question written exam (60 minutes) and individual applied task (30 minutes).40 question written exam (60 minutes) and individual applied task (30 minutes).

Passing criteriaPassing criteriaPassing criteria

75% written and 70% applied, passed separately; full attendance. All mandatory criteria must pass.75% written and 70% applied, passed separately; full attendance. All mandatory criteria must pass.75% written and 70% applied, passed separately; full attendance. All mandatory criteria must pass.