Track-and-trace

Track-and-trace is the general regulatory and supply-chain idea that each unit of a product can be tracked forward (where did this batch go?) and traced back (where did this package come from?). In cannabis it is usually delivered through a seed-to-sale system.

In practice

If a lab finds a contaminant in a retail package, track-and-trace lets the regulator identify the batch, the harvest, the cultivation room and every other package from that batch, and order a recall. Lot numbers on labels connect the consumer product to that record.

For genetics, a similar idea applies voluntarily: recording which seed batch, mother and father a plant came from lets problems such as herm-prone batches or viroid infections be traced to their source.

Rules differ by country, state, province and city, and change often. This is a general definition, not legal advice: check local rules.

Don't confuse with

• Seed-to-sale tracking: the specific cannabis implementation, often used interchangeably.
• Chain of custody: the documented handling of one sample, such as a lab sample.