Traceability of edible carcass parts (slaughter, C0)

Plain-language summary

Slaughter operations must keep every edible part of a carcass — blood included — traceable until the carcass is declared fit for human consumption.

What the clause is really asking

ISO 22000 8.3 requires a traceability system; for subcategory C0 FSSC makes it specific to the moment of greatest risk. All edible parts of the carcass, including blood intended for human consumption, must remain traceable to the animal until the carcass is deemed fit for human consumption — so that a post-mortem rejection can pull every part that came from that animal.

What auditors look for

Auditors follow one animal from lairage through slaughter and evisceration and ask where its blood, offal and trimmings are at the moment of the fitness decision, and how they would be recovered if the carcass were condemned.

Typical evidence

Traceability procedure for edible carcass parts; batch or animal identification on offal, blood and trim containers; records linking parts to the carcass; evidence of a recall of parts following a condemnation

How to comply — recommendations

Identify blood and offal containers by kill batch or animal at the point of collection, not later, and hold them until the inspection decision. Test the system with a mock condemnation.

Common nonconformities

Blood or offal pooled before the fitness decision; identification lost between evisceration and the inspection point; traceability exercise never tested on carcass parts

Resources for this clause

• ArticleFSSC 22000 Version 7 explained: what changed, the dates that matter, and how to prepare for the upgrade audit
• Free downloadFSSC 22000 V7 Gap ChecklistEvery change from FSSC 22000 Version 6 to Version 7 as a tracked project — V6 audits end on 30 April 2027, and this is the file that gets a site to its upgrade audit with the evidence ready.
• Free masterclass · ~18 minFSSC 22000 V7 MasterclassV6 audits end 30 April 2027. Every V7 change clause by clause — the new ISO 22002 family, allergen testing, culture evidence, fraud/defence competence, food loss & waste targets — and a 90-day plan.