Manual batch tracking eats hours, and one missing record can become a failed audit or a slow recall. Most off-the-shelf food traceability software makes you bend your operation to fit the tool, then charges a subscription that never stops. We build traceability systems around the way your business already runs, from goods-in through production to dispatch.
ByteGears is a London-based development consultancy. We build systems that fit your processes and stand up to UK food safety law and the certification schemes your customers demand.
Where off-the-shelf food traceability software falls short
Packaged tools can work well for a single-site producer with a stable supplier base and standard HACCP processes. The strain shows when your operation is more specific than that:
- Per-user pricing punishes growth. Ten licences look affordable. Once 50 to 100 staff are scanning batches, you’re looking at five or six figures a year, and a renegotiation every time you add a site.
- You bend your process to the software. Many platforms support only single-step batch approval and preset workflows. If you run conditional holds, multi-stakeholder sign-off or proprietary batch allocation, you end up with workarounds.
- Supplier data stays messy. Supplier portals assume tidy, standardised uploads. In reality COAs, specs and certificates arrive as email PDFs and spreadsheets in a dozen formats, and someone re-keys them.
- It’s compliance-first or inventory-first, rarely traceability-first. HACCP-led tools treat batch tracking as an add-on. Broad inventory platforms treat food safety as a side feature. Neither gives you clean batch genealogy.
- It creates a silo. If traceability doesn’t talk to your ERP, accounting and production systems, master data drifts out of sync and a recall query slows down exactly when speed matters.
The usual result is a pile of workarounds, a thinner paper trail than you’d want when an auditor arrives, and fees for modules you never touch.
What you get with a custom build from ByteGears
We map your current goods-in, production and dispatch flow first, then build software that supports the processes you already trust instead of forcing new ones.
You own the system and the data outright. There are no per-user fees, so growth doesn’t trigger a budget shock. Most clients find a custom build reaches cost parity with mid-market SaaS within roughly 12 to 24 months once subscription escalation is taken out of the picture.
It connects to your ERP, accounting, inventory and lab systems through proper two-way integrations, so master data stays consistent and a recall query doesn’t depend on a handoff between tools.
It’s built around the traceability the law actually requires: one-step-forward, one-step-back capability under retained EC Regulation 178/2002, allergen records, supplier verification and a tamper-evident audit trail. We tailor it to the certification scheme you answer to, whether that’s BRCGS, SALSA, Red Tractor or SQF, and to FSMA 204 lot-code and Critical Tracking Event capture if you export to the United States.
You start with a working core and add modules as you grow, from ingredient-to-finished-goods genealogy through to consumer QR codes.
And our London team handles implementation, training and ongoing support, so there’s no timezone gap when something needs fixing.
Features we typically build
Batch and lot tracking that follows product from supplier intake through production transformations to dispatch, with each lot carrying its code, date, quantity, expiry and status.
Forward and backward tracing. Given a supplier batch, see every finished lot that used it and every customer or site it reached. Given a finished lot, see every ingredient batch behind it.
Supplier records holding contact details, audit status, certification expiry dates and product specs, with alerts before a certificate lapses.
COA and document handling that ingests Certificates of Analysis, test reports and supplier certificates, including the awkward email-PDF reality, rather than assuming suppliers will use a tidy portal.
Allergen management with ingredient-level declarations linked through the genealogy, so you can show allergen control for any finished lot and meet labelling obligations.
Quality and lab results tied to batches, with pass, fail and quarantine status, and corrective action (CAPA) tracking through to closure.
Recall management built on batch genealogy, pinpointing affected lots, locations and customers, with optional workflows that generate notifications and track removal.
FEFO stock rotation and expiry alerts, so near-expiry stock is used or flagged before it becomes waste.
Barcode and QR scanning on tablets and phones for goods-in, production and dispatch, fitting the labelling you already use, with GS1 code support ahead of the Sunrise 2027 move to 2D codes.
Cold-chain monitoring through IoT temperature and humidity sensors, logging readings against batches automatically and alerting on threshold breaches.
Configurable dashboards and reporting that produce the documentation auditors and certification bodies ask for, plus the metrics you actually watch: shelf life, stock rotation, supplier performance, non-conformances.
Role-based access so production staff, quality managers and directors each see and edit only what they should, with every change recorded.
How the project runs
We work in four phases.
Discovery and planning takes two to four weeks. We document your current processes, certification requirements and integration points through workshops and time spent watching how you actually operate on the floor.
Development runs roughly eight to sixteen weeks for the core, in an agile cycle with regular demos. The first release usually covers supplier and product records, batch creation, forward and backward tracing, scanning and audit-ready reporting, the parts you need for your next audit. Integrations, a supplier portal, HACCP scheduling and IoT feeds follow in later phases.
Testing and deployment takes two to four weeks, including user acceptance trials and a phased rollout. We recommend a recall dry run before go-live so the workflow is proven before a real incident.
Training and support covers staff training pitched per role, plus 12 months of included support, with extended arrangements available.
A common mistake we plan around: supplier data collection and ERP integration almost always take longer than expected. We scope them honestly upfront rather than promising “we’ll integrate later” and watching it slip.
What it costs
A custom build is an upfront investment, not a monthly bill. It removes the recurring SaaS fees that, for mid-market tools, often run well past £10,000 a year and climb as you add users and sites.
For most UK SMEs, a core traceability system lands between £25,000 and £60,000 as a one-time cost, with later phases such as deep ERP integration, supplier portals and IoT monitoring priced separately as you need them. After launch, expect a modest annual figure for support and changes rather than a per-seat subscription.
Where SaaS still makes sense: a single-site producer with a small, stable supplier base, standard products and no real integration needs is often well served by an entry-level subscription. Custom software earns its place when you have multiple sites, messy supplier data, proprietary workflows, real integration needs, or a headcount large enough that per-user pricing becomes the dominant cost. We’ll tell you honestly which side of that line you’re on. Book a free consultation and we’ll price it against your actual requirements.
What tends to trigger a project
Most buyers come to us after a specific event rather than a general tidy-up:
- A failed or borderline food safety audit, or a customer audit you scraped through
- A recall or near-miss that exposed how slow paper tracing really is
- A retail or foodservice customer demanding documented traceability, or FSMA 204 proof for US export
- Supplier audit fatigue, where chasing COAs and certificates across dozens of suppliers by email has become unmanageable
- Opening another site or warehouse, at which point spreadsheet batch tracking breaks down
- Pursuing BRCGS, SALSA or Red Tractor certification, which requires a formal, auditable system
Who uses this
We’ve shaped food traceability systems for a range of UK food sectors:
- Food manufacturers and co-packers: ingredient-to-finished-goods genealogy, allergen control and batch-level cold-chain records
- Artisan and craft producers: small-batch tracking for breweries, cheesemakers and speciality foods preparing for retail certification
- Wholesale distributors: multi-site inventory with FEFO rotation, expiry alerts and fast recall queries across thousands of SKUs
- Farm shops and direct sellers: field-to-shelf traceability and provenance for direct sales
- Hospitality and foodservice groups: supplier compliance and delivery records pulled together across locations
- Online food retailers: provenance and batch information surfaced for customers
- Allergen-sensitive producers: full ingredient genealogy and allergen declarations for liability protection
- Importers and exporters: dual UK and FSMA 204 documentation from a single master database
- Care homes and schools: meal component tracking and supplier verification
- Food banks: donation tracking and expiry management
Each build fits the certification rules and workflows of the sector it’s for.
Common Questions About Custom Food Traceability Software
How does a custom build compare on cost with a SaaS traceability platform?
A custom build is a larger upfront cost, but it removes the recurring fees that grow with you. Per-user SaaS pricing is the usual trap: 10 licences at £80 to £120 a month feels cheap, but 50 to 100 staff scanning batches turns into £50,000 to £120,000 a year. Add setup fees, integration work and add-on modules and the gap widens. Most mid-market operations reach cost parity with a custom system somewhere around years two to three. You also own the system and your data outright.
What's a realistic development timeline?
A working core system usually takes three to four months: supplier and product records, batch and lot creation, one-step-forward and one-step-back tracing, barcode scanning and audit-ready reporting. Integrations, a supplier portal, HACCP scheduling and IoT temperature feeds are added in later phases. We get the parts you need for your next audit live first, then build outward.
How do you handle updates and changes after launch?
Every build includes 12 months of support. After that you can move to pay-as-you-go changes or an annual maintenance arrangement. Because the system is yours, you're not waiting on a vendor's product roadmap when FSMA 204, FSA guidance or a customer's audit requirement shifts. We design so changes can be made without rebuilding from scratch.
Can you integrate with our ERP, accounting and inventory systems?
Yes. We commonly connect traceability to ERP and inventory tools such as Sage, Xero, QuickBooks, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, Cin7 and Katana, plus eCommerce platforms, LIMS lab systems and IoT temperature loggers. Where suppliers send Certificates of Analysis as email PDFs and spreadsheets, we build the ingestion and mapping so your team isn't copying data by hand.
Will it keep us audit-ready and compliant?
The system is built around the one-step-forward, one-step-back traceability required under retained EC Regulation 178/2002, with allergen records, supplier verification and a tamper-evident audit trail. Records are retained for the periods your certification and the law require. We tailor it to the scheme you're certified to or pursuing, whether that's BRCGS, SALSA, Red Tractor or SQF, and to FSMA 204 lot-code capture if you export to the US. Data handling is UK GDPR compliant, hosted in the UK or on your own servers.
How fast can we run a recall with a custom system?
The point of batch genealogy is to turn a recall from a days-long paper exercise into a query. Give the system a suspect supplier batch and it lists every finished lot that used it and every customer or site it reached. We can also build recall workflows that generate customer notifications and track removal, so the bottleneck stops being "which batches are affected".
Do you train our team?
Yes. Training is included and pitched per role: longer sessions for food safety and quality managers who own reporting and audit prep, shorter practical sessions for production staff doing receiving, batch creation and dispatch scanning. We also recommend a recall dry run before go-live so the workflow is tested before you need it for real.