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Pre-export pipeline 01-02-03: how we check a batch before shipment

Three steps before shipment take the place of rework after it. In our team's internal cases, that keeps €200–800 per pallet in the margin.

8 min read
A warehouse worker records a batch's labels and packaging before shipment

In brief

What does the 01-02-03 pipeline do in practice?

The 01-02-03 pipeline is a three-step pre-export check on a batch. In step 01 (Capture) the team photographs the pallet, packaging, labels and accompanying documents and records the metadata. In step 02 (Verification) this material is checked against Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, the general food law and hygiene rules of Regulations (EC) No 178/2002 and No 852/2004, and category reference lists. Step 03 (Report) produces a list that marks each line "ready", "needs correction" (to be fixed before shipment) or "high risk". This guide is for logistics managers, compliance specialists and category managers who want fewer corrections at customs and fewer returns when importing from Central Asia into the EU. In our team's experience, fixing issues before shipment keeps €200–800 per pallet in the margin compared with fixing the same findings when the goods are released for sale or at the buyer's distribution centre.

Operator
SIA "Trade House ECLECTIE", registration number 40203644876
Pre-export check point
Uriekstes iela 4A, Riga LV-1005
Contact
Contact us via the form
Impact
€200–800 per pallet when documents are corrected before shipment (a working estimate from internal cases)

Three steps: 01 Capture, 02 Verification, 03 Report

The pipeline has three distinct steps, and each has a defined output and an owner in the team. Step 01 (Capture) produces a factual record of the batch: photos of the pallet as it was received, the packaging, the labels on the unit and on the outer case, the accompanying documents and the barcodes. In step 02 (Verification) this record is checked against current EU requirements: consumer labelling under Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, general food law under Regulation (EC) No 178/2002, food hygiene under Regulation (EC) No 852/2004, and industry reference lists. Step 03 (Report) is a structured document that sorts the items in the batch into three statuses: ready to ship, needs correction before shipment, and high risk, which has to be escalated.

The cycle is designed to finish before the pallet leaves the warehouse. If step 02 finds a mismatch on a label, in the packaging or in the documents, it is fixed on the spot, at the same site and with the same equipment. If the same error only turns up when the goods are released for sale or at the buyer's distribution centre, the same fix costs many times more once vehicle downtime, reissued paperwork, repacking and the risk to reputation are counted in.

Step 01 (Capture): what we photograph and what metadata we record

Step 01 always pairs photographs with structured metadata. The team records, in a fixed order, an overall view of the pallet, the packaging of each product group, the labels on each SKU unit, the label on the outer case, the accompanying documents (invoice, packing list, certificates), the barcodes and the batch marking. Every photo carries metadata: SKU, the manufacturer's item code, batch number, production date, expiry date, country of origin, the staff member responsible and the exact time the photo was taken.

  • Photos: pallet, packaging, unit label, outer case, documents, barcodes.
  • Metadata: SKU, batch number, production and expiry dates, country of origin.
  • The staff member responsible and the exact time each photo was taken.
  • Photos and metadata archived against the batch number in the warehouse system.

Step 02 (Verification): the requirements and reference lists we check against

In step 02 the captured material is checked against the rules in force and against our internal category reference lists. The legal baseline is Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 (food information to consumers), Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 (general food law, including Article 18 on traceability) and Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 (food hygiene). On top of that come reference lists for the 14 EU allergens, the nutrition declaration, abbreviations and font size, as well as internal compliance maps for specific product categories: plov rice, spices, dried fruit, tea and craft SKUs.

The check runs as a checklist that a member of staff works through point by point: does the ingredients list match, are the allergens declared, is the nutrition table correct, are the mandatory particulars there (country of origin, name and address of the responsible food business operator, lot identification), are the language and font requirements met, and is the barcode valid and does it match the physical product. Each answer is logged in the system as "yes", "no" or "needs clarification", and these marks feed automatically into step 03.

Step 03 (Report): what is ready, what to fix before shipment, what to escalate

In step 03 the team receives a structured report built on the results of steps 01 and 02. Each line in the batch gets one of three statuses. "Ready" means the line fully meets the requirements and can ship. "Needs correction" means it has a fixable mismatch that can be put right in the warehouse before shipment, for example by relabelling, adding a labelling language or correcting the documents. "High risk" means the mismatch cannot be fixed on site and has to go to the manufacturer or the category manager.

Each line of the report has an owner and a deadline: who fixes the problem, when the work must be finished and at what point it is checked again. This makes the report a working plan for the batch. It is also the basis for the later conversation with the manufacturer about which SKUs consistently pass without corrections and which need lasting improvements to their documents and labels.

The economics: where the €200–800 per pallet range comes from

The €200–800 per pallet range is a working estimate from our team's internal cases, not an industry statistic. It reflects the actual spread of correction costs at different stages in our projects. The lower end covers the simplest fixes: relabelling, correcting one field in a document, adding a missing barcode. The upper end covers complex cases: a customs hold with vehicles standing idle, repacking the batch at a new distribution centre, a partial return of the batch, and damage to reputation in a first contract with a retail chain's category manager. The saving for your category depends on how often corrections are needed and on the sales channel, and we estimate it separately after the first cycle.

  1. Build step 01 (Capture) into the standard warehouse receiving cycle, before any repacking.
  2. Run step 02 (Verification) against the 1169/2011, 178/2002 and 852/2004 checklist and the category reference lists.
  3. Compile step 03 (Report) with its three statuses and assign an owner to each correction.
  4. After two cycles, compare planned and actual figures: which SKUs are stable and where corrections keep coming up.
  5. Use the report in talks with the manufacturer to improve batch quality at source.

The batch archive: what stays after shipment and why

The pipeline's results are kept after shipment. Photos, metadata, checklists and the checkpoint report are stored as the batch archive, linked to the batch's unique number. The team can go back to it a month, a quarter or a year later, for example to handle a buyer's complaint, prepare for a scheduled audit or discuss the next seasonal delivery with the manufacturer. The archive is evidence of due diligence, and it is also a working tool for steadily improving batch quality at source.

The archive is organised by batch and SKU, so a report for a single delivery is easy to export and agree with the buyer. Commercially, this lowers the risk of disputes: if a buyer in Stockholm or Berlin raises a question about a particular batch, we pull up the photo record and the checklist, and the discussion rests on recorded parameters. Handled this way, the pre-export check becomes part of a long-term relationship.

The cheapest correction is the one made in the warehouse before shipment. Fixing the same error at the buyer's end costs many times more.

Pre-export check team, Uriekstes iela 4A warehouse

FAQ

The 01-02-03 pipeline: common questions

Step 01 is a process: a set procedure for receiving a batch into the warehouse, with mandatory photographs and structured metadata. For the person doing it, that means going to the pallet, taking the photos on the checklist, entering the metadata in the warehouse system and attaching the photos to the batch number. Software makes the process faster and more consistent, but it is still hands-on work done by people on site. The batch then has a body of evidence that can be referred to a month or a year later.

The pipeline pays off most in categories where labelling and allergens are sensitive: plov rice, spices, dried fruit, meal kits and ready meals, and tea. In these categories a label error often means the batch is stopped at a retail chain's distribution centre or at a HoReCa distributor. In craft categories such as Rishtan ceramics the effect is different: there the pipeline covers risks around packaging, origin and insurance rather than label compliance.

Yes. Some of our partners have taken over step 01 (Capture) at their own sites in Uzbekistan or elsewhere in Central Asia: they photograph the batch to our checklist and send the metadata, and our team in Latvia carries out steps 02 and 03. This shortens the cycle and reduces the number of corrections that need someone physically present in Riga. For a regular partner we adapt the checklist to their category and train the manufacturer's team to work in the shared format.

On shipment day, step 02 most often finds small errors that still have to be corrected: a missing labelling language, an incorrect barcode, or a production date that differs between the label and the packing list. If the error is classed as "needs correction", it is fixed in the warehouse before loading. If it is classed as "high risk", the batch is held back for the next departure and the problem goes back to the manufacturer as a formal request. That is still better than finding the same problem after the goods have reached the buyer in the EU, where the fix costs considerably more.

Batch traceability is a basic requirement of EU food law, set out in Article 18 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002. The 01-02-03 pipeline supports it directly: step 01 records the batch with metadata and photos, step 02 checks that the labelling and documents comply, and step 03 produces an archived report that can be consulted in later checks. In effect, it is a practical way of documenting traceability for the same batches that end up on shelves and in kitchens across the EU.

Next step

Run the pre-export pipeline on your category

Use the form on the site to send us the product category, a typical batch size and the destination market. We will get back to you with a checklist adapted to steps 01-02-03, typical timings for each step and an estimate of the saving per pallet for your range.

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Pre-export pipeline 01-02-03: Capture, Verification, Report