追蹤追溯係指從上游的生產到下游的銷售，追及食品及成分在整個供應鏈上的流動與傳遞。由於1990年代狂牛症等食品安全事件，歐盟意識到以追蹤追溯系統高度保護人類生命健康的重要性，於是第178/2002號規則將追蹤追溯納入食品一般性義務範疇，強化行政機關就問題食品定位及回收的風險管理能力。消費者可在充足的食品資訊下根據經濟、環境、社會與道德等因素進行選擇，故消費者的知情選擇，為歐盟追蹤追溯系統於風險管理外的另一功能。另一方面，食品業者的商業利益、食品產業的不透明性以及世貿組織、食品產業的不透明性以及世貿組織SPS協定的適法性，則為追蹤追溯系統面臨的挑戰。

Traceability refers to the ability to trace, track and follow food or food ingredients through all stages of production and distribution. Following such devastating food safety crises as mad cow disease in the 1990s, the European Union realized the importance of a traceability system to maintaining high-levels of protection of human life and health. Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 thus requires that food manu-facturers, distributors, and retailers participate in the traceability sys-tem, so that targeted and accurate withdrawals can be undertaken. Meanwhile, consumers can use food information to pursue other personal goals, including economic, environmental, social and ethical ones. Informed consumer choice therefore serves as a purpose besides risk management in the EU food traceability system. On the other hand, trade secrets, transparency issues along the food supply chain, and the legality of SPS measures under the WTO framework could pose great challenges to the performance of the system.