Country Prime Meats Cuts Recall Exercises to 5 Minutes with Food Traceability Software
When spreadsheets and databases were making traceability harder than it needed to be, Country Prime Meats found a faster, more reliable way to manage raw materials, finished goods, inventory, production records, and recall exercises with Icicle ERP.
Country Prime Meats specializes in snack foods, producing pepperoni snack sticks and pet treats for brands including TBC, The Butcher’s Companion, and Country Cravers. As James, who works in logistics and procurement at Country Prime Meats, put it: “We make pepperoni from day in, day out.”
For a busy meat snack manufacturer, traceability is part of everyday operations. It affects production, procurement, inventory, quality assurance, shipping, and recall readiness. Country Prime Meats needed a system that could replace spreadsheets with faster, more reliable visibility across the business.
“Our team was looking for a platform like Icicle to alleviate the amount of spreadsheets and databases we were using,” James explained, “and for 100% traceability on our finished goods and our raw materials.”
That search led Country Prime Meats to Icicle ERP, a connected food traceability software platform built for food manufacturers that need stronger control from receiving to shipping.
Meet Country Prime Meats: Pepperoni Snack Stick and Pet Treat Specialists
Country Prime Meats has built its business around consistent production of pepperoni snack sticks and pet treats. With products moving through receiving, production, smokehouses, dry rooms, inventory, and shipping, the team needed a clear view of what was happening across the facility each day.
Before Icicle, much of that information lived in spreadsheets and databases.
“I’m told before Icicle it was just spreadsheets,” James said. “It was a whole bunch of spreadsheets and databases.”
For James and the Country Prime Meats team, the goal was not simply to digitize old records. They needed a system that could make traceability easier, improve information reliability, and help the team follow procedures consistently.
“The challenges we face here are the same with any food manufacturer: traceability, reliability of our information, and checklists to make sure all our procedures are followed,” James said. “Without that, the system falls apart.”
The Challenge: Spreadsheets Were Slowing Down Traceability
Food manufacturers need to know what raw materials came in, where they were used, what finished goods were produced, and where those products were shipped. During a recall or traceability exercise, that information has to be available quickly and accurately.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s recall procedure guidance outlines the importance of identifying affected products, codes, quantities, and distribution details during a recall. For Country Prime Meats, relying on disconnected spreadsheets and databases made that kind of visibility harder to manage.
The team needed a better way to connect raw materials, finished goods, recipes, production activity, inventory transactions, and shipping information in one system. They also needed a solution employees could use directly on the floor, without creating extra manual work later.
The Solution: Connected Traceability from Receiving to Shipping
Country Prime Meats implemented Icicle after vetting the system against its processes across different divisions. The team first used a test model before going live on January 1, 2021.
“We went live January 1, 2021,” James said.
Implementation was supported closely by Icicle’s team. James worked with Ethan as his one-on-one support contact, and that responsiveness helped make the transition easier.
“What really went well was the team there at Icicle,” James said. “Ethan was our one-on-one support, so any questions I had, he got right back to me. He was very responsive.”
Icicle also helped upload existing information into the system, saving James significant manual entry time.
“The information was there instantly,” he said, “whereas it would take me probably days to enter it all, if not weeks.”
The biggest challenge was helping some employees get comfortable using handheld devices and computers on the floor. For team members who did not use computers or smartphones every day, that adjustment took time.
“Getting them used to having that handheld device in their hand and using it — that was one of the biggest challenges we had,” James said.
Once the team became more comfortable, Icicle helped Country Prime Meats bring receiving, production, inventory, QA, and shipping activity into one connected system.
Real-Time Visibility for Logistics, Production, and QA
As someone working in logistics and procurement, James uses Icicle to see what is being received, what is shipping out, and what production output looks like for the day.
“Being logistics, I’m mainly looking at what’s being received today, what’s shipping out today, and then our production output for the day as well,” James said, “because I need to know what’s shipping the next day.”
Icicle’s production reports also give the team visibility into key production steps, including when products go into and come out of the smokehouse.
“The production reports themselves — we were able to get our team to work so when it goes into our smokehouse and when it comes out of our smokehouse are displayed in those reports,” James said. “We found that an extra bonus.”
That level of detail helps with product investigations. Before Icicle, it was harder to trace exactly where a product had been if an issue came up. Now, the team can see where product sat in the smokehouse and dry rooms, then use that information to investigate possible causes.
“Now through Icicle, we trace exactly what position it sits in in the smokehouse, what position it sits in in our dry rooms,” James said. “It’s easier when we have a product issue that we can go back instantly and see where it sat in those rooms.”
For food businesses that need stronger visibility across receiving, work-in-progress, finished goods, and shipping, Icicle’s complete traceability software connects traceability data to the day-to-day workflows that generate it.
Barcode Scanning Helps Connect Inventory and Production
Country Prime Meats also uses barcode scanning to support inventory counts and production flow.
James explained that barcode scanners help reconcile physical inventory counts. If someone forgets to write down a count but scans the item, the scan still helps capture the activity.
“We use the barcode scanners to do our inventory counts,” James said, “and it helps us reconcile the physical counts.”
Barcode scanning is also used during production. Different sections of the production room create different products or pre-products. One step may create a table of meat, while another turns that into a buggy of meat mixed with spices. Each step can be coded with a barcode, and the next step scans that barcode to consume it.
“Each one of those is coded with a barcode scanner as well,” James said. “So then the next step just needs to scan that barcode to consume it. It’s very helpful there.”
Icicle’s barcode software systems help food manufacturers connect barcode activity to inventory, traceability, production, and quality records. GS1 Canada’s traceability standards also highlight the role of identification and data capture in improving supply chain visibility.
The Results: Recall Exercises Dropped from 2 Hours to 5 Minutes
The biggest measurable result for Country Prime Meats has been recall readiness.
Like many certified food manufacturers, Country Prime Meats performs recall exercises every year to show that the team can trace products effectively. Before Icicle, James said they were usually given two hours for recall exercises because that was how long the process used to take.
With Icicle, that changed dramatically.
“We’ve always been given two hours to do recalls because that’s how long it used to take,” James said. “But now I can get a recall done in about five minutes. That is a huge time saver for me.”
That result is the strongest proof point in the Country Prime Meats story. Icicle gave James faster access to the information he needed and improved confidence in the accuracy of recall data.
“The information comes up in no time now,” he said. “It’s accurate, and it’s usually 100%, unless there’s human error of course. That is the number one thing that has saved us.”
For Country Prime Meats, this is not only a time savings story. It also means less stress, faster access to records, and stronger confidence during recall exercises.
Recipes, Inventory, and QA Records in One Place
Icicle also helps Country Prime Meats reduce the time employees spend searching for information.
Recipes are stored in Icicle, so the production team can see what needs to go into the product each day without searching for paper documents.
“Our recipes are in Icicle, so our team can see our recipe right there every day,” James said. “They don’t have to go looking for a piece of paper or what they’re putting in the product that day.”
The team also no longer needs to create new spreadsheets every day.
“All the information is there,” James said. “We don’t use spreadsheets anymore, so you don’t have to create a new spreadsheet every day.”
For quality assurance work, employees can enter information directly into Icicle during checks and audits instead of writing notes and transferring them later.
“You take the tablet with you and you do it right then and there,” James said. “You don’t have to make notes and then transfer them later to the official form. It’s right there.”
James added that the quality assurance team is “really liking it.” Icicle’s food safety software helps food businesses manage food safety documentation, quality checks, compliance records, and corrective actions in a connected system.
Icicle ERP Helps Country Prime Meats Move Beyond Spreadsheets
Country Prime Meats now has stronger visibility across receiving, production, inventory, recipes, barcode scanning, quality assurance, shipping, and recall exercises.
The most measurable improvement is clear: recall exercises that used to take about two hours now take about five minutes. But the broader impact is day-to-day confidence. Information is easier to access, records are more connected, and the team can trace products more quickly when it matters.
Support has continued after go-live as well.
“Even now, Icicle support is great,” James said. “I’ll email Ethan and Fan and they get back to me very quickly.”
When asked whether he would recommend Icicle, James was clear.
“I would highly recommend Icicle to anyone looking to replace or add to their current systems,” he said, “because it has just been a great help for us for traceability, quality assurance, and efficiencies on our lines.”
For food manufacturers still relying on spreadsheets, paper forms, or disconnected databases, Country Prime Meats shows what is possible when traceability, inventory, production, and QA data are connected in one food ERP system.
Ready to replace spreadsheets with faster traceability and better production visibility? See how Icicle’s food production management software can help your team improve traceability, recall readiness, quality assurance, and daily operational control.
FAQ: Food Traceability Software, Recall Readiness, and Operational Efficiency
1. How quickly can food traceability software improve recall readiness?
Results depend on your processes and data quality, but Country Prime Meats reduced its mock recall exercise time from approximately two hours to about five minutes after implementing Icicle ERP. By connecting raw materials, production records, inventory transactions, and shipping data in one system, teams can access traceability information much faster when conducting recalls, audits, or investigations.
2. Can Icicle replace spreadsheets and disconnected databases?
Yes. Many food manufacturers rely on spreadsheets, paper records, and multiple databases to manage production, inventory, quality assurance, and traceability. Icicle centralizes these functions into a single platform, reducing duplicate data entry, improving information accuracy, and giving teams real-time visibility across operations.
3. How difficult is implementation for food manufacturing teams?
Most food manufacturers can transition successfully with proper onboarding and support. While some employees may need time to adapt to tablets, barcode scanners, or handheld devices, the long-term benefits typically include fewer manual processes, easier recordkeeping, and better visibility across departments. Country Prime Meats highlighted Icicle’s responsive implementation and ongoing support as a key factor in a successful rollout.
4. How does barcode scanning improve inventory accuracy and traceability?
Barcode scanning allows employees to record inventory movements, production consumption, and finished goods transactions directly into the system. This reduces manual entry errors, improves inventory accuracy, and creates a complete traceability chain from receiving through production and shipping. It also makes inventory counts and investigations significantly faster.
5. What departments benefit most from food traceability software?
Food traceability software provides value across multiple departments, including:
- Executive leadership and operations teams seeking efficiency and ROI
- Quality assurance and food safety teams managing audits and compliance
- Production managers tracking work-in-progress and yields
- Inventory and warehouse teams improving stock accuracy
- Procurement and logistics teams monitoring incoming and outgoing products
Because all departments work from the same data, communication and decision-making become much more efficient.
6. Does Icicle support food safety audits and regulatory compliance?
Yes. Icicle helps food manufacturers maintain digital records for traceability, quality checks, corrective actions, production activities, and inventory transactions. This makes it easier to prepare for audits, demonstrate compliance, and provide documentation when required by customers, certification bodies, or regulatory agencies.
7. What kind of return on investment can food manufacturers expect?
The ROI often comes from multiple areas: faster recalls, reduced manual data entry, fewer spreadsheet-related errors, improved inventory control, better production visibility, and less time spent searching for records. For Country Prime Meats, one of the most significant benefits was reducing recall exercises from two hours to five minutes while improving confidence in the accuracy of traceability data.
8. Is Icicle suitable for growing food manufacturers?
Yes. Icicle is designed for food manufacturers that need stronger control over inventory, production, traceability, quality assurance, and compliance as they grow. Whether you’re managing one facility or multiple production lines, the platform provides the visibility and traceability needed to scale operations without relying on increasingly complex spreadsheets.
Ready to Strengthen Traceability and Recall Readiness?
Learn how Icicle ERP can help your team improve traceability, streamline production, simplify compliance, and reduce the time spent managing recalls, audits, inventory, and quality records. Request a demo or speak with an Icicle food manufacturing specialist today.
