Example run

Cold chain and traceability

Follow one pizza from the supplier's freezer van to a customer's hands: how cold it's kept, how long it's out of the freezer at each step, and what we record so any box can be traced back to its batch.

  • −18°C or colder until it's loaded
  • 3°C in the machine
  • 75°C+ in the centre when baked
  • 1 scan from a box back to the supplier's lot
Step 1 of 7
Delivery

The supplier's freezer van backs in. We check the van's temperature, probe the product and check the delivery note: lot number, best-before date and quantity.

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Time
Wed 12 Nov 07:37
Product
−18.6°C
Where
Supplier's van
Air
−20.4°C
Lot
L2611-03
Box
–
Slot
–
Out of the cold
0:00
Target under 15 min
Traceability record
  1. Wed 07:40 Driver
    Delivery arrives Delivery note 48213 · 12 cases, 120 pizzas Van −20.4°C
  2. Wed 07:43 AB
    Goods-in check Lot L2611-03 · best before 05/2027 · packs intact · accepted Probe −18.6°C
  3. Wed 07:52 AB
    Into the cold store 12 cases to Freezer 1, shelf B · 6 min 40 s out of the cold Freezer −20.1°C
  4. Thu 08:00 AB
    Batch out for prep Prep batch A: 20 pizzas from lot L2611-03
  5. Thu 08:03 AB
    Sliced, boxed, labelled, scanned Box TPM-1113-A-014 · lot L2611-03 · packed 13 Nov
  6. Thu 08:14 AB
    Batch A back in the cold store 20 boxes to Freezer 1, shelf C · 14 min 20 s out of the cold Product −17.0°C
  7. Thu 10:34 AB
    Picked for Machine 1 60 boxes from batches A to C scanned out into 4 crates · 4 min out of the cold
  8. Thu 10:34 CD
    Van leaves Freezer van, data logger on Van −18.4°C
  9. Thu 11:09 CD
    Arrives at the venue 35 min on the road · logger high −18.0°C Product −18.0°C
  10. Thu 11:15 CD
    Loaded into Machine 1 Box TPM-1113-A-014 into slot 23 · use-by 17 Nov Machine 3.1°C
  11. Thu 11:24 CD
    Machine stocked 60 boxes in slots 1 to 60 Machine 3.1°C
  12. Fri 19:42 Machine
    Order 1182 Cheese and tomato · box TPM-1113-A-014 from slot 23
  13. Fri 19:46 Machine
    Baked About 180°C for 200 s · probe checks at this setting reach 81°C Oven 180°C
  14. Fri 19:46 Customer
    Collected Order 1182 served

The pizza's temperature

The same run as a chart. The gaps are the hours it spends in the freezer and, at the end, the day it thaws in the machine. Click the chart to jump the scene to that moment.

Frozen, −18°C or colder Chilled, 0 to 5°C 5 to 63°C, kept out of Cooked, 75°C or more

Trace one pizza back

Scan the label on any box, or start from an order, and the records link back step by step to the supplier's lot. It works the other way for a recall: from a lot to every box and the slot it's in.

  1. Order 1182 Fri 14 Nov, 19:42, Machine 1. Baked at about 180°C for 200 seconds.
  2. Slot 23, Machine 1 Loaded Thu 13 Nov, 11:15, with a use-by of 17 Nov. The machine held 3.1°C.
  3. Van run Thu 13 Nov, 10:34 to 11:09. The logger stayed at −18.0°C or colder.
  4. Box TPM-1113-A-014 Prep batch A, Thu 13 Nov, 08:00 to 08:14: 14 min 20 s out of the freezer.
  5. Freezer 1 From Wed 12 Nov, 07:52, logged at −20°C.
  6. Lot L2611-03 Delivery note 48213, Wed 12 Nov, 07:43. Probed at −18.6°C and accepted.

Limits we work to

Frozen storage and transport −18°C or colder. Up to −15°C briefly during delivery.
Out of the freezer Our targets: under 15 minutes for a delivery or loading the van, under 20 minutes for a prep batch.
In the machine 5°C or below. The machine is set at about 3°C and alerts us in the app if it warms up.
Baking The centre reaches 75°C or above: about 180°C for around 200 seconds, checked with a probe.

What gets recorded

  • Deliveries and loading record Supplier, product, lot, best-before, temperature, and which machine and slot each box went to.
  • Temperature log Freezer, van and machine readings, with what we did when one was out.
  • Box labels and scans Every box gets an ID linked to its prep batch and the supplier's lot, scanned in and out.
  • Core temperature checks Probe checks that each pizza's centre reaches 75°C at its oven setting.
  • Recall procedure How we find and remove every box from a recalled lot.

This is an example run. The times, temperatures, batch numbers and initials are illustrations of how we work, not records from a real delivery. Our food safety guide covers the rules behind them. Back to resources