RASFF Maturity · Compliance with rapid alert obligations · Regulation (EC) No 178/2002
Your rapid alert system, measured against RASFF obligations and turned into an action plan.
9 themes, a 5-level scale. And the action that moves each level to the next.
The framework’s 9 themes, already written from L1 to L5. One company, one business unit, or 300 at once.
RASFF Maturity · Compliance with rapid alert obligations · Regulation (EC) No 178/2002
9 themes, 5-level scale.
Nordhavn Industries
53 / 100
They measure their maturity with Datamensio
An example
This could be your situation.
Take one company as an example: three sites, three spreadsheets, no shared answer.
Nobody can consolidate.
Nordhavn Industries, 2,400 people in Hamburg, Lyon and Porto. A client asks where the group stands. Each site answers in its own spreadsheet, with its own scales.
Three weeks, a single base.
One Regulation (EC) No 178/2002, Articles 19, 20 and 50 to 52, and implementing regulation (EU) 2019/1715 (IMSOC) assessment launched across all three sites at once, from the managers’ interview notes. The framework was already written, its 9 themes and levels L1 to L5 too.
Two costs avoided before being committed.
A score of 53 out of 100, with the gap concentrated on three themes. The AI companion spotted that two actions duplicated those of another audit. The committee report took one sentence to request.
What it saved them
- 3sites measured on the same base, instead of three questionnaires to reconcile
- 2duplicate actions caught before the spend
- 1committee report, with no manual rework
These figures are an example. They could be yours.
The standard imposes processes. Datamensio says where you stand.
01
The framework is already written
Themes, questions and levels L1 to L5, all written. You do not start from an empty spreadsheet.
02
The score lands the same day
Online, by self-assessment link or in interview. Theme by theme, comparable over time.
03
The gap becomes a costed plan
Every step up carries its action. The AI prioritises on expected effect, not on the order of the standard.
04
Progress can be demonstrated
Campaign after campaign, against your target and against your own past. That is what your board asks for.
The maturity scale
One level, the next, and the action that links the two.
This mechanism, one level, the next level, and the action linking the two, is what turns a finding into a trajectory.
Can your organisation identify and isolate affected batches and decide on a withdrawal outside office hours?
- N1
No arrangements outside office hours. Batch identification depends on the availability of a few people and on systems accessible only the following day.
- N2
A withdrawal procedure exists and designates a decision maker, but contact details are not kept up to date and the arrangement has never been tested outside office hours.
- N3
An on-call rota is in place with backups, contact lists are kept current, and traceability data can be extracted remotely. The arrangement has been tested at least once.
- N4
Batch identification and decision timeframes are measured at every exercise and every real event, compared against an internal target, and gaps lead to tracked actions.
- N5
Exercise scenarios are varied and cover degraded cases, results are compared across sites and over time, and the procedure is revised after every lesson learned with traceable revisions.
Action to move from level 2 to level 3
Set up a named on-call rota with backups, verify remote access to traceability data, and trigger an unannounced batch trace-back exercise one evening or weekend, with a report presented at the next quality review.
« With Datamensio, we meet our objectives far more efficiently. The ERDF inspection services and our supervising ministry particularly appreciated an approach that gives them reliable data. »
Director, CCI 94CCI Île-de-France
« We believe this is the most suitable solution to scale our transformation project and measure impact according to our needs. »
Maja SucekChief Operating Officer, Interreg Danube
Rarely on its own
Frameworks combine. Put several together to cover your business, or have the AI write yours.
Take your first measurementon RASFF.
What this framework covers
RASFF (Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed) is the alert network established by Articles 50 to 52 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002. It links Member State contact points, the Commission and EFSA, and circulates alert notifications, information notifications, border rejections and follow-up information. For operators, the corresponding obligations are set out in Articles 19 and 20: immediately initiate withdrawal procedures when a product is deemed not to comply with food safety requirements, inform the competent authorities without delay, and recall from consumers when other measures are insufficient to achieve a high level of protection.
In practice, the difficulty lies not in the text but in the decision chain. How much time elapses between receiving an out-of-specification test result on a weekend evening and the decision to notify? Who is authorised to decide on a recall, and are they reachable outside office hours? Do upstream and downstream traceability records allow affected batches to be isolated within hours, or does the flow need to be reconstructed from several systems? Many organisations have a written procedure that has never been tested under time pressure.
Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1715 integrated RASFF into IMSOC, the Information Management System for Official Controls, alongside iRASFF, TRACES and ADIS. This creates a common confusion: RASFF is not a channel open to businesses. Operators notify their national competent authority, which assesses the case and feeds the network. Another point often misunderstood is that notifications published on the RASFF Window portal also cover suppliers and imported raw materials, and can be used as a monitoring source ahead of purchasing decisions.
The maturity assessment answers a different question from a compliance audit. An audit confirms the existence of a withdrawal and recall procedure and concludes with a gap or a pass. The assessment places each practice on a progressive scale: does the procedure exist, is it known, is it tested, is it measured, is it improved after each event. Above all, it identifies the specific action that moves the organisation to the next level.
Within Datamensio, the framework is ready to use and remains adaptable. The AI adjusts themes, questions and levels to your scope, whether processing, distribution, import or animal feed, or builds a version from your own crisis management procedures and exercise reports.
Reference standard: Regulation (EC) No 178/2002, Articles 19, 20 and 50 to 52, and implementing regulation (EU) 2019/1715 (IMSOC)
The themes assessed
Detection and qualification of the event
Internal and external alert sources, consumer complaints, out-of-specification self-check results, monitoring of published notifications, criteria for qualifying a product as injurious to health.
Decision to notify the authorities
Application of Articles 19 and 20, internal decision timeframes, authorised decision makers, documented decision tree, content and format of information sent to the competent authority.
Upstream and downstream traceability
Batch identification, first-tier supplier and customer data, time needed to reconstruct flows, completeness of records, extraction capability in an emergency.
Withdrawal and recall
Separate withdrawal and recall procedures, stock blocking, customer information, consumer messaging, points of sale, channels used and proof of dissemination.
Crisis organisation and on-call arrangements
Crisis unit, roles and backups, reachability outside office hours, decision delegations, crisis log, coordination with external communication.
Relations with competent authorities
Identified point of contact, history of exchanges, response to follow-up information requests, handling of border rejections and notifications concerning your products.
Supplier and incoming material control
Contractual clauses on immediate information, obligation to report alerts, supplier evaluation against published notifications, incoming inspection plan.
Exercises and tests
Frequency of withdrawal and recall exercises, realism of scenarios, measurement of timeframes achieved, participation of relevant functions, formal recording of findings.
Lessons learned and improvement
Root cause analysis after events, tracking of corrective actions through to closure, procedure updates, indicators tracked over time and management review.
A short version of the framework is available for the online self-assessment.
Frequently asked questions
Can a company notify RASFF directly?
No. The network links the competent authorities of Member States, the Commission and EFSA. Operators inform their national competent authority without delay under Articles 19 and 20 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002, and it is the authority that assesses the case and feeds the network. The assessment evaluates the quality and speed of this reporting.
Does RASFF lead to a certification?
No. These are regulatory obligations verified during official controls, and incorporated into private schemes such as IFS, BRCGS or FSSC in their withdrawal and recall chapters. Datamensio measures the maturity of the system and prepares for these controls and audits, it does not issue any certificate.
What is the difference between this assessment and a compliance audit?
An audit checks that a procedure exists and concludes with a gap or a pass. The assessment places each practice on a five-level scale and identifies the action that moves it to the next level. The two are complementary: the assessment prepares for the audit, the audit validates it.
How long does the assessment take?
The short version can be completed in 20 to 30 minutes by a quality manager. The full version, run collaboratively with supply chain, production and communication teams, typically takes one to two weeks, most of the time being spent gathering evidence from the teams.
Can the framework be adapted to our business?
Yes. You can amend the questions, levels and themes, or start from your own crisis procedures. The AI generates a version adapted to your scope, processing, distribution, import or animal feed, and refines level wording using the CMMI method.
How can several sites be compared?
The same framework is rolled out to each site, and scores per theme are compared across business units and against previous rounds. Gaps feed into a cross-site roadmap, which the AI groups into common actions rather than a site-by-site list.
Does the assessment also cover animal feed?
Yes. Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 covers both food and feed, and RASFF handles both flows. The traceability, withdrawal and authority relations themes apply to both scopes, with questions adjusted where necessary.
Where is the data hosted?
In France, with OVH, and backed up with Scaleway. No transfer outside the European Union. The AI models used can be selected, including from European providers.