Maturity Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 · General Food Law
Your traceability, withdrawal and notification obligations, measured 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.
Maturity Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 · General Food Law
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 of the European Parliament and of the Council 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.
It is this mechanism, one level, the level above, and the action that links the two, that turns a finding into a trajectory.
Is your ability to trace a batch, both upstream and downstream, tested and measured?
- N1
No traceability test is carried out. Trace-back would rely on existing records, with no procedure or known timeframe.
- N2
Tests are run occasionally, often prompted by an external audit. Results are not quantified and gaps do not lead to formal action.
- N3
Exercises are planned, trace-back time is measured and results are recorded. Coverage remains partial for some materials or packaging.
- N4
Exercises cover upstream, downstream and processing aids, with a defined time target, a material balance and an action plan tracked to closure.
- N5
Exercises are run unannounced, timeframes are tracked over time and compared across sites, and the method is revised after every incident or range change.
Action to move from L2 to L3
Schedule two traceability exercises per year in the site quality calendar, define how upstream and downstream trace-back time is measured, and present the quantified result at the monthly quality review along with gaps and their owners.
« 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 measurement
What this framework covers
Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 is the founding text of EU food law. It established the European Food Safety Authority and the RASFF rapid alert system, and sets out obligations directly applicable to food and feed business operators. Three articles shape day-to-day practice: Article 14 on food safety, Article 18 on upstream and downstream traceability, Article 19 on withdrawal, recall and immediate notification of the competent authorities. The precautionary principle and the requirement for non-misleading consumer information add to this.
In practice, these principles are hard to manage because they cut across every department. Traceability depends on purchasing, production and logistics. Withdrawal depends on quality, sales and communications. How long would it actually take you to trace a finished batch back to its raw materials and their suppliers? Who decides that a foodstuff is injurious to health, and on what written criteria? Was your last recall exercise measured, or merely carried out? Most organisations can answer on paper, fewer can prove it.
One confusion comes up often: Regulation 178/2002 is not the same as hygiene. Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 and the HACCP method describe hazard control in production. 178/2002 describes the legal framework, operator responsibility and the reflexes required in the event of an incident. For context, Regulation (EU) 2019/1381 on the transparency of risk assessment amended several provisions on risk communication and the publication of studies submitted to EFSA. These changes mainly concern authorisation dossiers, but they highlight the expectation of documentary traceability placed on operators.
A maturity assessment answers a different question from a compliance audit. An audit concludes with a gap or a compliance finding, on a given date, for a given scope. The assessment places each practice on a progressive scale: is traceability reconstructable, tested, measured for response time, improved after each exercise. It then points to the precise action that moves you up a level, with its cost and timeframe. The assessment prepares you for the official inspection and the certification audit, it does not issue any certificate.
In Datamensio, the framework is ready to use and adaptable. The AI adjusts the themes, questions and level wording to your sector, from fresh produce to processing or animal feed. It can also build a version based on your internal procedures, withdrawal plans and exercise reports, so the assessment speaks the language of your sites.
Reference standard: Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council
The themes assessed
Operator responsibility and governance
Formal allocation of responsibilities under Article 17, the role of management, resources assigned, coordination between head office and sites, management review.
Food safety and decision criteria
Application of Article 14, written criteria for judging a foodstuff injurious to health or unfit for consumption, account taken of normal conditions of use and consumer information.
Upstream and downstream traceability
Identification of direct suppliers and customers, batch granularity, trace-back time, coverage of raw materials, packaging and processing aids, record retention.
Withdrawal and recall
Documented procedure, trigger criteria, decision chain and on-call arrangements, scope of withdrawal, consumer information, product recovery and destruction.
Notification to authorities and RASFF
Arrangements for immediate notification of the competent authority, content and timing of notifications, identified contacts, follow-up of alerts received via the rapid alert system.
Risk analysis and the precautionary principle
Distinction between risk assessment, management and communication, use of scientific opinions and EFSA opinions, conditions for applying provisional measures.
Imports and products placed on the EU market
Verification of compliance for imported foodstuffs, importer identification, requirements applicable to exported products, associated documentation.
Information and risk communication
Fair consumer information, consistency of messaging across quality, sales and communications, preparation of talking points for alert situations.
Exercises, measurement and improvement
Frequency and realism of traceability and recall tests, timing and recovery rate indicators, lessons learned, procedures updated after incidents.
A short version of the framework is available for the online self-assessment.
Frequently asked questions
Is Regulation 178/2002 subject to certification?
No. It is a directly applicable EU regulation, checked by the competent authorities during official controls. Private certifications such as IFS or BRCGS incorporate some of its requirements, particularly on traceability and recall. The assessment measures your maturity and prepares you for these milestones, it does not issue any certificate.
What is the difference between this assessment and a compliance audit?
An audit checks whether a requirement is met on a given date and concludes with a gap or a compliance finding. The assessment places each practice on a maturity scale and points to the action that moves you up a level. The two complement each other: the assessment prepares for the inspection, the inspection validates.
How long does the assessment take?
The short version can be completed in a single working session. The full version, run collaboratively with quality, supply chain and production managers, typically takes one to two weeks, most of the time spent gathering evidence and records.
Can the framework be adapted to our sector?
Yes. Questions, levels and themes can all be edited, and you can add your own internal requirements. The AI can also build a version based on your procedures and withdrawal plans. You keep full control of the framework.
How does this assessment relate to HACCP and Regulation 852/2004?
178/2002 covers the legal framework, traceability and incident response. 852/2004 and HACCP cover hazard control in production. The two assessments share pieces of evidence: a cross-cutting roadmap consolidates them without duplicating actions.
Can several sites be compared with each other?
Yes. Each site is assessed against the same framework, making scores comparable by theme. Benchmarking across business units and comparison with previous rounds show where gaps concentrate, and the AI groups common actions into a single group-wide roadmap.
Where is the data hosted?
In France, with OVH, backed up with Scaleway. No transfer outside the European Union. The AI models used can be selected, including from European providers.