Reference

Food Traceability & Compliance Glossary

Plain-English definitions for the regulatory acronyms operators run into every week. KDE, CTE, TLC, FIC, QUID, EPCIS - all defined the way an inspector would read them.

KDE Key Data Element FSMA 204
Specific data points captured at each Critical Tracking Event under FSMA 204 - traceability lot code, date, location, quantity, and reference document number. KDEs are the rows in the FDA's sortable electronic record.
CTE Critical Tracking Event FSMA 204
Defined supply-chain moments - harvesting, cooling, initial packing, first land-based receipt, shipping, receiving, transformation - where KDEs must be captured under FSMA 204.
TLC Traceability Lot Code FSMA 204
Unique alphanumeric code assigned at initial packing, first land-based receipt, or transformation; identifies a specific lot end-to-end across the supply chain.
FSMA 204 Food Safety Modernization Act, Section 204 USA
FDA traceability rule for foods on the Food Traceability List. Requires KDE capture at every CTE, with sortable electronic records produced inside 24 hours of an FDA request.
FTL Food Traceability List USA
The FDA-published list of foods covered by FSMA 204 - soft cheeses, shell eggs, leafy greens, sprouts, melons, peppers, nut butters, certain seafoods, ready-to-eat deli salads, fresh-cut produce.
EU 1169 Food Information to Consumers Regulation EU
EU Regulation 1169/2011. Defines allergen declaration, mandatory nutrition labelling, country-of-origin rules, font sizes, and distance-selling obligations for food businesses across the EU.
FIC Food Information to Consumers EU
The regulatory framework defined by EU 1169/2011. Often used interchangeably with "EU 1169" in industry.
PPDS Prepacked for Direct Sale UK
Food packed at the same premises where it is sold, before the customer asks for it. Subject to Natasha's Law - full ingredient list with 14 allergens emphasised.
Natasha's Law UK
Common name for the UK Food Information Amendment 2019. Since 1 October 2021, all PPDS food in the UK must carry a full ingredient list with the 14 EU allergens emphasised on the label.
HACCP Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points Global
Internationally recognised, structured approach to food safety. Required by EU Regulation 852/2004, retained UK food law, and FDA Hazard Analysis Risk-Based Preventive Controls. Built around 7 principles - hazard analysis, CCP identification, critical limits, monitoring, corrective actions, verification, and record-keeping.
CCP Critical Control Point HACCP
A step in the food production process where a hazard can be prevented, eliminated, or reduced to an acceptable level - cook temperature, cool-down time, sanitation cycle, allergen segregation.
FSAI Food Safety Authority of Ireland Ireland
The competent authority for food safety enforcement and policy in the Republic of Ireland.
FSA Food Standards Agency UK
The non-ministerial UK government department responsible for food safety in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
EPCIS Electronic Product Code Information Services GS1 standard
GS1 standard for capturing and sharing supply-chain visibility events. EPCIS 2.0 supports FSMA 204-aligned event records and is the industry-preferred format for cross-organisation traceability.
GS1 Global Standards body Global
Global standards organisation responsible for GTINs, GLNs, GS1-128 barcodes, and EPCIS. The reference identifier system across food, healthcare, and retail supply chains.
GTIN Global Trade Item Number GS1
Unique product identifier, encoded in barcodes and used across supply-chain systems. The retail-facing example most people recognise is the EAN/UPC barcode.
GLN Global Location Number GS1
Unique identifier for physical locations and parties in the supply chain. Required as a KDE field in FSMA 204-aligned records.
GFSI Global Food Safety Initiative Global
Industry-led benchmarking organisation for food safety certification schemes - including BRCGS, SQF, FSSC 22000, and IFS. A GFSI-recognised certification is widely required by major retailers and foodservice buyers.
QUID Quantitative Ingredient Declaration EU 1169
Requirement to declare the percentage of an ingredient when it appears in the product name, is highlighted on the label, or is essential to characterise the food.
FOP Front of Pack labelling EU/UK
Simplified nutrition information shown on the front of food packaging - Nutri-Score in much of continental Europe, the traffic light system in the UK.
DPP Digital Product Passport EU
Structured digital record holding a product's lifecycle data - composition, origin, sustainability metrics, compliance evidence. Mandatory under EU regulation for textiles and batteries first; food is the next adoption frontier.
Allergen Matrix Operational
Structured representation of which allergens are present, may-contain, or absent across all dishes in a menu or product range. The operational artefact behind compliant labelling and customer-facing allergen information.
Recall Pulse GNV term
GNV's targeted, sub-60-second identification of every downstream product and location affected by a contaminated lot, batch, or supplier.
Four-Eyes Approval Operational
Control pattern requiring two distinct authorised users to approve a critical action - allergen-affecting recipe change, supplier substitution, or production sign-off. GNV applies four-eyes approval to compliance-critical changes by default.
Cryptographic Audit Trail Technical
An append-only ledger where every entry is signed and chained to the previous one. Retrospective edits are visible, traceable, and cannot be hidden. The technical foundation of GNV's evidence model.

Missing a term? Email info@globalnutritionvalue.com and we'll add it. The glossary is a living reference, updated quarterly.

Compliance language, made operational

The glossary is one half. The other half is making the rules a non-issue. Free pilot window dates available.

Request a Demo