What this is
What is a despatch record?
What is a despatch record?
A despatch record captures what product left the site, when, on which vehicle, to which customer, and whether it was released by quality before it went. It is the shipping event: the record that lets a trace move forward from a batch to the customer it was sent to, rather than stopping at the loading bay.
How is a despatch record different from a batch traceability record?
The despatch record captures what went out: the batch to customer link at the point of shipping, the vehicle, the driver's signature. The batch traceability record captures the manufacturing linkage further back, the raw material lots behind that batch. A site with only despatch records can say where product went but not what it was made from.
What does 'Released By Quality' mean on a despatch record?
A cross-check against the hold register carried out at loading, confirming the batch on the vehicle is not one placed on hold. It is deliberately the last field before the vehicle checks, because it is the last point held product can be stopped without a recall.
Scope
When is a despatch record required?
This record is the shipping step in the chain. Using it for the manufacturing linkage or materials accounting that precede it answers the wrong question when a recall needs a fast one.
Use this template when
- Product has been loaded onto a vehicle, or a shipment is about to leave the site
- A new despatch is happening; each gets its own ID in the form DESP-2026-000
- A batch on the load needs checking against the hold register before the vehicle leaves
- You are running the Traceability and Recall programme and need the one-step-forward half
- A linked record needs this one to exist: links Traceability, Customer
Do not use it for
- Batch Traceability Record, which links raw material lots to finished batches, the manufacturing half rather than the shipping half.
- Lot Coding Verification, which confirms the code printed on the pack is correct and readable, not what left on which vehicle.
- Trace Exercise Record, which records a practice trace on a selected batch outside a mock recall.
- Packaging Reconciliation Record, which reconciles packaging and label quantities against production, a materials check at the line, not the vehicle.
- Anything outside KnowQuality, which belongs in the workspace that owns that process
Compliance mapping
Which ISO 22005 requirements does this satisfy?
Despatch is named as a shipping tracking event with its own required data, while the vehicle and release checks around it sit under general food safety practice rather than one numbered clause.
| Clause | Requirement | Where it lands |
|---|---|---|
| FSMA Sec. 204(d); 21 CFR 1.1350 | Shipping tracking event record: shipment reference, date shipped, and the entity shipped to | Header |
| 21 CFR 1.1350 | Traceability lot code and quantity shipped, linked to the immediate subsequent recipient | Load contents |
| ISO 22005:2007 cl.5 | System design must permit identification of output lots and their immediate destination, not reconstruction from stock records | Load contents |
| Standard-specific | Release verified against the hold or non-conforming register before loading, the final food safety gate before despatch | Load contents |
| Standard-specific | Transport equipment inspected for cleanliness, pests and compatibility with its previous load before loading | Vehicle checks |
| Standard-specific | Product loaded at its specified temperature, with cold chain integrity confirmed at loading rather than assumed | Vehicle checks |
| Regulation (EC) 178/2002 Art.18 (as retained in UK law) | One-step-forward traceability: the immediate customer of every batch shipped is identifiable from the record | Documentation |
| Standard-specific | Held or non-conforming product is blocked from despatch and the exception recorded, not corrected after departure | Documentation |
What it does not cover
- Batch Traceability Record, which needs the raw material lots behind the batch, not the shipping event that closes it.
- Lot Coding Verification, which needs the physical code checked against specification, not which vehicle it left on.
- Trace Exercise Record, which needs a timed practice trace against a target batch, not a live shipping record.
- Packaging Reconciliation Record, which needs packaging and label quantities reconciled against production, not what shipped to whom.
- The recall decision itself, which belongs in the Recall Plan and Mock Recall Record, using this record as an input rather than a substitute.
Global
Despatch Record requirements by country
Despatch has moved from a general duty to a named, dated tracking event in the largest market this template serves, changing what a defensible record looks like.
FSMA Section 204(d); 21 CFR Part 1, Subpart S, shipping critical tracking event
Covered foods need shipping records naming the entity shipped to, the date, and a reference to the traceability lot code.
For covered foods the record is not discretionary; it must be producible within 24 hours and name the immediate customer, not just the carrier.
Regulation (EC) 178/2002 Art.18 as retained in UK law; FSA traceability guidance
One-step-forward is the general minimum: know the immediate customer for every batch shipped, in whatever format captures it.
The minimum is less prescriptive than FSMA 204, but retailer and certification audits routinely expect vehicle and release checks on top of it.
ISO 22005:2007
A management-system standard for traceability design, specifying outputs and their immediate destination must be identifiable, rather than a food-safety duty itself.
Certification against ISO 22005, or its use as a design reference, is common where a customer requires a documented system beyond the regulatory floor.
How to complete it
How to complete a despatch record, step by step
The template captures the shipment. Whether it closes the trace forward depends on decisions the fields alone do not force.
A load plan describes what was meant to go out. The record needs to describe what actually did, including the last-minute substitution. Completing it from the plan rather than the loading bay produces a document that looks finished and traces nothing real.
Released By Quality exists because it is the last point held product can be stopped before it becomes a customer's problem. Recording it as answered without the cross-check happening removes the one control this record contributes that batch traceability does not.
A vehicle that last carried raw meat, chemicals or an allergen-declared product before a ready-to-eat load is a contamination route, whatever its cleanliness. Record the previous load as unknown the same way as incompatible; an unverified history has not been checked.
A mixed load carries several batches to several customers on one vehicle. A vehicle-level batch reference loses the specific link a recall needs; the record should say which batch went to which customer, not just which batches were somewhere on the truck.
What auditors find
Most common despatch record findings
Findings concentrate on fields completed from a plan rather than the loading bay, and on the hold check meant to be the last one.
| Finding | Clause | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| Hold register not cross-checked before loading, or held product loaded regardless. | Standard-specific | Make the hold cross-check a hard stop before vehicle checks can be completed, not a field answered from memory. |
| Vehicle's previous load recorded as unknown rather than verified. | Standard-specific | Treat unknown the same as incompatible; require the previous load confirmed, not assumed acceptable. |
| Batch number and customer not reconciled per line on a mixed load, only once for the vehicle. | 21 CFR 1.1350 | Capture the batch-to-customer link at pallet level whenever one vehicle carries more than one destination. |
| Temperature at loading recorded as pass or fail with no actual reading captured. | Standard-specific | Require the numeric reading alongside the judgement, so a marginal result can be reviewed later. |
| Delivery note recorded as corrected with no detail of what was wrong or who corrected it. | Standard-specific | Record the specific discrepancy and who resolved it before the signature is taken. |
| Held product found on the load has no linked hold or case reference. | Standard-specific | Require a case ID whenever held product is recorded, so the exception can be traced, not just noted. |
Case in point
Case in point: the despatch record that matched the plan and not the load
A chilled meats site ran a mixed load for three customers on one vehicle. The record was completed when loading was scheduled to finish: three batches, three customers, release marked yes, and the driver's signature. Vehicle checks were all pass, and it was filed before the vehicle left the yard.
Two weeks later a complaint traced a quality issue to one of the three batches. The record named the batch correctly but linked it to the vehicle as a whole, not a specific customer line, because the loading sequence had changed after it was drafted: a pallet was substituted at the last minute and nobody updated it. Finding which customer received the batch took a manual call to despatch, because the record described the plan rather than the load that actually left.
The template
The template, field by field
The form exactly as it installs. Every field, option, score and conditional rule is editable, and the links to other templates come with it.
4 sections
- Reference
- QUA-075
- Archetype
- Record
- Record ID
- DESP-2026-000
- Scoring
- Not scored
- Direction
- n/a
- Singleton
- No
- Basis
- ISO 22005
- Links
- Links Traceability, Customer
- Tags
- Traceability, Logistics
- Sections
- 4
- Fields
- 37
- Follow up fields
- 1
- Repeating sections
- 1
- Links out
- 2
Header
12 fieldsDespatch ID*
Auto sequence. Format DESP-2026-000.
The record's own ID. Other templates point at this value.
Status*
Drives who this goes to next.
- Planned2 pts
- In progress2 pts
- Complete3 pts
- Deferred0 pts
- Open0 pts
- Closed3 pts
- Overdue0 pts
Date and Time*
Raised By*
Site*
Site ID*
Format SITE-000.
Links to FDN-001 Site ID
Despatch Date*
Customer*
Delivery Note Number
Order Number
Links to External system reference
Carrier
Vehicle Registration
Load contents
Repeats6 fieldsProduct*
Batch Number*
Links to External system reference
Quantity*
Date Code*
Pallet Reference
Released By Quality*
Cross check against the hold register before loading. This is the last chance to stop held product leaving.
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Vehicle checks
9 fieldsVehicle Clean And Odour Free*
- Pass2 pts
- Partial1 pt
- Fail0 pts
- N/Aexcluded from denominator
No Evidence Of Pests*
- Pass2 pts
- Partial1 pt
- Fail0 pts
- N/Aexcluded from denominator
Previous Load Compatible*
A trailer that carried raw meat or chemicals before your ready to eat product is a hazard.
- Yes3 pts
- Unknown0 pts
- No0 pts
Pre-Cooled To Temperature*
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
Temperature At Loading*
Data Logger Placed
- Yes3 pts
- Not required3 pts
- No0 pts
Load Secured*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Allergen Segregation Maintained
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Seal Number Applied
Documentation
10 fieldsDelivery Note Accurate*
- Yes3 pts
- Corrected1 pt
- No0 pts
Certificates Included Where Required
- Yes3 pts
- Not required3 pts
- No0 pts
Driver Signature Obtained*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Hold Register Cross Checked*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Any Held Product On Load*
- No3 pts
- Yes0 pts
Case ID
Thread key
Despatch*
Signature*
Quality*
Second Signature*
QUA-075 · record IDs look like DESP-2026-000 · Links Traceability, Customer
Open in KnowellaRun it with agents
From a document you fill in to a programme that runs itself
Keeping the batch-to-customer link current when a load changes late is the work that actually slips.
Holds the despatch record against the hold register, and flags a release marked yes with no matching cross-check evidenced.
Supplies the load plan and customer references the record depends on, and flags where it still matches a plan known to have changed.
Holds vehicle history against the previous-load checks, so a trailer's last cargo is verified rather than assumed.
Watches for records closed before actual departure, and held product recorded with no linked case, then raises the review.
This template lives in KnowQuality — quality and food safety. HACCP, nonconformance, traceability, laboratory and customer complaints.
Meet KnowQuality→Glossary
Despatch Record definitions and key terms
- Critical tracking event
- A point in the supply chain, such as shipping, at which a specific set of traceability data must be created and kept.
- One-step-forward traceability
- The ability to identify the immediate customer of every batch shipped, the forward half of the traceability minimum most regimes require.
- Cold chain
- The unbroken sequence of temperature control from production through transport, verified at loading rather than assumed from a set point.
- Hold
- A status stopping product moving, including onto a vehicle, until a quality decision is made; the despatch cross-check is the last point it can be enforced.
- Delivery note
- The document accompanying a shipment stating what it contains, checked here because it travels with the product to the customer.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about despatch record
What is a despatch record?+
A record completed at loading that captures what product left, when, on which vehicle, to which customer, and whether quality released it beforehand. It closes the shipping end of the traceability chain.
How is a despatch record different from a batch traceability record?+
The despatch record captures the shipping event: batch and customer at loading, the vehicle, the driver's signature. The batch traceability record captures the manufacturing linkage, the raw material lots behind the batch. A site needs both to trace a batch end to end.
Why does the vehicle's previous load matter?+
A trailer that carried raw meat, chemicals or an allergen-declared product before a ready-to-eat load is a contamination hazard, whatever its cleanliness. The check catches that history before loading, not after a complaint traces back to it.
What happens if held product is found on a loaded vehicle?+
It should not leave. The release check exists to catch this before departure; if held product is found already loaded, the case should be raised and linked on the record, since it is exactly what a recall investigation will ask about.
Does every despatch record need a data logger reading?+
Only where the product or route requires one; not required is a valid answer. Where a logger is placed, the record should confirm it was fitted and functioning, not just planned.
How does a despatch record support a recall?+
It is the fastest route from a batch number to a customer name. A recall reconstructing this from stock movements or driver memory loses hours it does not have; a record completed at loading answers it in a lookup.
Keep going
Related templates and programmes
Industries this is written for
Programmes this belongs to
Used together in Traceability and Recall
Recall Plan
Sets out how product would be traced, held and recovered if it had to be recalled
Mock Recall Record
Tests the recall plan by tracing a real batch forward and back without actually recalling it
Batch Traceability Record
Links raw materials to finished product batches and on to customers
Lot Coding Verification
Confirms the lot or date code printed on product is correct and readable
Trace Exercise Record
Records a practice trace on a selected batch, forward and backward, outside of a mock recall
Date Coding Verification
Verifies date and batch coding is present, legible, correct and in the right position
More in Traceability
Batch Traceability Record
Links raw materials to finished product batches and on to customers
Lot Coding Verification
Confirms the lot or date code printed on product is correct and readable
Trace Exercise Record
Records a practice trace on a selected batch, forward and backward, outside of a mock recall
Written and reviewed by
Siddarth Singh
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Knowella
Certified Safety Professional and industrial and systems engineer with more than a decade inside food supply chain, freight and manufacturing operations. This page was written against the current text of the standards it cites, not against secondary summaries of them.
- Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Board of Certified Safety Professionals
- MBA, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
- MS and BS, The Ohio State University, Industrial and Systems Engineering
- Six Sigma Black Belt
Sources and last review. Reviewed 16 August 2026 against:
- FSMA Section 204(d) and 21 CFR Part 1, Subpart S — Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods
- ISO 22005:2007 — Traceability in the feed and food chain
- Regulation (EC) No 178/2002, Article 18 (as retained in UK law)
- FDA Food Traceability List and compliance guidance
This page is general guidance, not legal advice. Confirm requirements with your jurisdiction’s regulator.