Mock-recall · BRCGS Issue 9
Mock recall in 90 seconds. Not half a day with three QA managers and a whiteboard.
BRCGS Issue 9 requires you to run a mock recall on real production data, end-to-end, and produce a signed traceability report. In Excel, that's half a day and a knot in your stomach. In Keystone, it's 90 seconds and a signed PDF.
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Proof points
In one glance.
- Pick a batch or dispatch — full chain returns in under 30 seconds
- One-click signed PDF for the audit folder
- Includes upstream supplier chain + downstream customer chain
- Audit log of every mock recall run (who, when, which batch)
Why it matters
BRCGS auditors don't accept 'we'd be able to find it.'
Issue 9 §3.9 / §3.11 (traceability) requires evidence that you can produce a complete chain — upstream and downstream — within a specified time. Most artisan producers can technically do this in Excel; they just can't do it fast enough, with a signed audit trail, on demand. That's where audits get downgraded.
What Keystone gives you
A traceability test you actually want to run.
- Pick any batch or dispatch — Click the trace icon. Full chain returns instantly.
- Both directions — Upstream (supplier → batch) and downstream (batch → customer → retailer branch) in a single report.
- Signed PDF — Output is a signed PDF with a unique audit ID. Drop it straight into your BRCGS folder.
- Audit log — Every mock recall is logged — auditors love seeing the history of self-checks.
- Scheduled mocks — Configure quarterly mock-recall reminders. Keystone runs them automatically; QA reviews the output.
The full exercise
The trace is 90 seconds. The exercise is everything around it.
A mock recall that satisfies an auditor is more than the trace: someone independent nominates the lot, the clock is logged, the mass balance closes within your stated tolerance, the customer and FSAI notifications are drafted (not sent), and the write-up names what didn't work with corrective actions. Keystone compresses the mechanical middle — the chain, the quantities, the document references — so your QA team spends the exercise on the parts that need judgement: the scenario, the decision chain, the honest findings. Most customers run the whole documented exercise in under 90 minutes; the write-up is the long part. We published our complete step-by-step procedure, including a worked mass balance, as a free guide.
Where mocks fail
The gaps a 90-second trace exposes early — instead of on audit day.
- Rework without a trail — The kilograms that stop mass balances from closing. Keystone's rework entries carry source batch, destination batch and weight — the gap becomes visible the week it happens, not the year after.
- Private-label blind spots — A retailer quotes their SKU code; your records speak internal codes. Keystone's bidirectional customer-code mapping resolves either direction instantly.
- Untimed exercises — A trace with no recorded start and finish time is not evidence. Every Keystone mock-recall report carries timestamps automatically.
- Single-person dependence — If the exercise only works when one specific human drives, that's a finding. Role-based access means the deputy can run it identically.
FAQs
Frequently asked.
Will running mocks cost more on my licence?
No — included in Standard. Run as many as you need.
Does it generate the BRCGS template document?
Yes — output is a signed PDF formatted to BRCGS expectations. We update it when BRCGS revises the standard.
Can the SFPA accept the output?
Same PDF works for SFPA / FSAI / DAFM inspections. The audit trail is platform-agnostic.
How fast is "90 seconds" in reality?
Benchmarked on the founding-customer dataset (35 batches, 99 dispatches, multi-market export footprint). Full chain returns in under 30 seconds; PDF generation adds another 30–60.