How do you structure the traceability of purchases in a catering network to comply with regulatory obligations?
September 01 2025Regulatory compliance is no longer limited to ad hoc document management. To meet the requirements of the EGAlim and INCO laws, quality audits and public tenders, foodservice groups need to structure an exhaustive, automated and audited traceability of purchases.
This article details the data to be traced, the obligations to be met and the tools to be mobilized to industrialize this monitoring on the scale of a multi-site network.
Why is purchasing traceability becoming strategic?
In an increasingly demanding regulatory context (INCO, EGAlim, public procurement, supplier audits), purchasing traceability is no longer a mere administrative convenience: it's a business obligation. It conditions:
- Compliance with legal requirements (origin, allergens, BBD, certification)
- The ability to respond to a control, an audit or a customer request
- The transparency expected in the context of CSR policies or public procurement
Purchasing and quality departments must therefore guarantee an automated, structured, auditable level of traceability.
"We had to provide a list of gluten-containing products within 48 hours, with their supplier, use-by date, origin... without structured traceability, it was impossible."
Anne-Marie K - Quality Manager, contract catering network (45 sites)
What data needs to be traced in a catering network?
Traceability concerns both products, suppliers and associated documents. Here's an overview of the critical data:
| Plotted element | Data type | Examples or obligation |
|---|---|---|
| Supplier | SIRET, certification, geo zone | Quality audit, public tenders |
| Product | Origin, label, allergens, category | INCO regulation, EGAlim |
| Associated document | Technical data sheet, declaration of conformity | DGCCRF control, internal audits |
| Delivery | DLC, batch number, supplier | Product withdrawal, sanitary traceability |
How to guarantee reliable group-wide traceability
Reliable traceability requires:
- A centralized product database, with integrated INCO data
- A multi-supplier management, with contracts and attached documents
- Automatic connection to supply flows
- A search engine to quickly find a product, a batch, a delivery
Solutions like Adoria help structure these flows, linking products, suppliers, orders and documents to each purchase line.
"With Adoria, we were able to automate the updating of our INCO sheets and group together all supplier compliance documents. In the event of an inspection, everything is centralized."
Frédéric G - Purchasing Director, commercial foodservice group (70 establishments)
What regulatory obligations should be anticipated?
Here are the main obligations facing foodservice groups:
- INCO regulation: complete list of allergens, origin, composition
- Loi EGAlim: traceability of sustainable, local, SIQO products
- Supplier audits: annual update of certifications (ISO, organic, IFS...)
- Public procurement: justification of origin or labels on each purchase line
Non-compliance is often linked to a lack of structure in purchasing data. ERP or management software must enable them to be collected, updated and extracted quickly.
FAQ: frequently asked questions about purchasing traceability
What INCO data must be kept on each product?
Origin, complete list of allergens, precise composition, presence of GMOs, type of processing, brand, supplier, batch number, BBD.
How to trace multiple suppliers for the same product?
You need to activate multi-supplier management and link each order to the right document supplier. Adoria handles this plurality automatically.
Can we centralize documents (conformity, certificates) in one tool?
Yes, in fact it's essential. In Adoria, documents linked to products and suppliers can be centralized and accessible to sites.
For the HACCP and sanitary control plan part, our sister company ePackPro offers complete tracking.
Purchasing traceability is no longer an option. It is becoming a regulatory, commercial and performance issue. Foodservice groups need to structure their purchasing data to extract critical information at all times.
Purchasing traceability is no longer an option.
Adoria's Procurement module centralizes, automates and tracks all flows and documents linked to suppliers and products, to guarantee compliance, visibility and responsiveness in the event of control.
