The recall notice that arrives at 4pm on a Friday.
A retailer flags a product code. Now you have hours, not days, to name every batch that shares the same field origin, variety, and harvest window, and every customer who received them.
If those records live in three systems and a spreadsheet, the trace is a manual reconstruction while the clock runs. If the field, the packhouse, and the despatch note were linked at the point of data entry, the same trace is a query.
One version costs you a weekend and a retailer's confidence. The other costs you a few seconds.
Most food safety incidents that damage grower-retailer relationships aren't caused by the incident itself, but by the inability to respond quickly and completely. A widely cited industry study put the average direct cost of a single food recall at roughly $10 million, before any lost sales or brand damage (Grocery Manufacturers Association). We build farm-to-fork traceability software that makes the full-chain trace automatic: the field record, packhouse intake, processing steps, and despatch batch are linked from the point of data entry, not assembled retrospectively when a recall forces the issue.
Field origin traces to every affected customer, and every customer trace routes back to field origin automatically, not one-up one-down. GlobalG.A.P., BRCGS, and SQF requirements are part of the data model from the start, not a bolt-on report. The US FDA Food Traceability Rule (FSMA 204) works on the same logic: Key Data Elements captured at Critical Tracking Events like harvesting, cooling, packing, and shipping. We model those events once so the same records satisfy your retail certification scheme and the regulator.
Proof
- Since 2015
- shipping production software across food, retail, hospitality, and logistics
- RaftLabs delivery record
- 4.9/5
- average client rating across delivered projects
- Clutch, verified reviews
- Seconds
- to trace every batch sharing a field origin, not an eight-hour manual reconstruction
- Every traceability build
RaftLabs has shipped production software since 2015 for clients across the US, UK, Europe, Canada, and the UAE. The team that scopes your supply chain ships the platform, so nothing is lost in a handoff after the contract is signed. Traceability rarely stands alone: it connects to business process automation for packhouse and despatch workflows, AI agent development for exception and audit review, and custom software development for the systems around it. The full track record building traceability and compliance platforms sits on the agriculture industry hub.
This pays off when a retailer is already asking for the full chain.
Everything on the left should already be true for your operation. Even one thing on the right, and a lighter record-keeping fix is the smarter first step.
A fit01You supply major retailers whose traceability requirements now go beyond one-up one-down.
02You need to trace from a field origin to every affected customer within hours of a recall notice.
03You certify to GlobalG.A.P., BRCGS, SQF, or a retailer-specific scheme, or you are about to.
Not a fit01Your records already sit in a single system that links field, packhouse, and despatch cleanly.
02You sell direct with no retailer certification or recall-trace obligation.
03Traceability is not a requirement your customers or auditors are pushing on yet.
What we build
What the traceability platform covers
01Field-to-batch traceability
Harvest batches link directly to field records, variety, seed lot, and season inputs, with batch identity maintained through every processing step so the field origin traces from a retail barcode without manual search.
02Chemical application audit trail
PHI compliance is checked automatically at harvest, flagging any event where the interval hasn't elapsed, with MRL reference data visible at the point of application and residue test results linked to the batch record.
03Packhouse and processing traceability
Intake and processing records track input/output lots for mass balance verification, with quality inspection and rework records maintaining traceability through re-grade events.
04Despatch and customer traceability
Despatch records link the packed batch to the customer order and delivery confirmation, with electronic despatch notes carrying batch identification and regulatory labelling, and returns re-linked to their original despatch.
05Recall and withdrawal management
Forward trace identifies every customer delivery from a field or input origin; backward trace identifies the field origin and all other affected customers from a complaint or product code, with mock recall exercises recorded for certification evidence.
06Certification and retailer compliance
GlobalG.A.P., BRCGS, and SQF audit trails are maintained within the system, with retailer-specific requirements configured per customer and traceability exercise reports generated on request with timing recorded for audit.
Have a traceability project?
Tell us your supply chain structure, certification scheme, retail customers, and current traceability record-keeping process. We'll scope the right platform.
How it works
From scope to live traceability system
- Week 1
01Supply chain and certification scoping
We map your supply chain structure, certification scheme, and current record-keeping process. You leave week 1 with a written scope document and a fixed-price quote.
- Weeks 2-4
02Traceability data model design
Field-to-batch linking and recall trace logic designed against your actual packhouse workflow.
- Weeks 5-11
03Build and integrate
Batch tracking, chemical audit trail, and recall trace built in parallel, tested against real harvest data.
- Final 2-3 weeks
04Launch and mock recall exercise
Team trained on the recall workflow with a mock exercise before full rollout.
We price by project, with a fixed cost agreed before development starts. Where you land depends on scope, not negotiation:
- Single-site build, $45,000-$80,000
- Field-to-batch linking, packhouse intake, processing records, and despatch traceability for one site.
- Full compliance build, $70,000-$120,000
- Everything in the single-site build, plus retailer certification compliance, recall management, and a grower portal.
What it costs
Farm-to-fork traceability software, starting at $45,000.
One platform that links the field, the packhouse, and the despatch record, scoped to your certification scheme and retail customers.
Field-to-packhouse traceability is the starting point, not three bolted-together systems pretending to be one. Despatch records and consumer-unit tracking get added as your certification scheme requires them.
Starting investment
Starts at $45,000
A validated v1 launches in about 12 to 16 weeks. Start with field-to-packhouse traceability, then extend into despatch and retail reporting as your certification scheme requires it.
No hourly billing
Once we scope the platform, that price is locked in writing, no surprise invoices, no change fees you didn't agree to.
One team
The team that assesses your supply chain also builds the platform. No handoff after the contract is signed.
