Quality & Continuous Improvement

Product Technical Data Sheet: What to Include and an Example

By Claudia · · 6 min read

Gloved hands holding a tablet showing a product technical data sheet

Product technical data sheet without errors

The product technical data sheet is one of the most critical documents at any food industry company. It summarizes a food product's essential characteristics: composition, physicochemical, microbiological and sensory parameters, storage conditions, shelf life and labeling requirements. Yet its importance isn't always reflected in how carefully it's produced or maintained. An incomplete, outdated or poorly managed food technical data sheet can trigger serious non-conformities in an audit, customer complaints or, in the worst case, a food safety problem. In this article we explain how to build one without errors and how to keep it in perfect order.

What a food product technical data sheet must include

A good product specification isn't filler paperwork. It's the technical reference that production, quality, purchasing, logistics and customers all use to make decisions. That's why its content must be complete, precise and verifiable. These are the sections you can't skip:

Product identification. Trade name, legal designation, internal code, product family and document version. It sounds basic, but it's common to find data sheets with no version number, or with names that don't match the ones in the ERP.

Description and composition. Ingredient list in descending order, allergen declaration (confirmed presence and possible cross-contamination), nutritional information and, where applicable, authorized nutrition or health claims.

Organoleptic characteristics. A description of the expected appearance, color, texture, smell and taste, with acceptable tolerance ranges. This section is key for quality control at intake and dispatch.

Physicochemical parameters. pH, water activity (aw), moisture, salt content, degrees Brix or other indicators relevant to the product type. Each parameter must state the target value along with minimum and maximum limits.

Microbiological criteria. Counts of pathogenic microorganisms and indicators, with established limits and sampling frequency, in line with Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs (Regulation [EC] 2073/2005, 2005).

Shelf life and storage conditions. Expiry or best-before date, storage temperature and humidity, conditions after opening, and any special handling instructions.

Packaging and labeling. Packaging type, material, format, net weight, batch marking and all the mandatory information that must appear on the label.

Intended use and target population. Who the product is intended for, including whether it's suitable — or unsuitable — for vulnerable groups. This point connects directly to the hazard analysis in the HACCP system.

Common mistakes that fail audits

Auditors for certifications tied to quality standards know the weak points of technical data sheets very well. These are the most frequent failures:

No version control. A data sheet with no version number or approval date is unmanageable. If a supplier or customer is working from an old version and the product has changed since, the risk is obvious. Many audit non-conformities come precisely from outdated versions still circulating.

Incomplete or incorrect allergen information. Leaving out an allergen present in the formulation, or failing to correctly flag cross-contamination risk, is one of the mistakes with the greatest legal and safety impact. The allergen declaration should be reviewed every time an ingredient or supplier changes.

Parameters with no defined limits. Listing only the target value without specifying acceptance limits makes it impossible to make objective decisions during quality control. Every measurable parameter needs its tolerance range.

Outdated nutritional data. If a formulation or an ingredient's supplier changes and the data sheet isn't updated, the nutritional information can become inaccurate. This affects both legal labeling and the reliability of the documentation you show customers.

No signature or approval. A technical data sheet with no identified approver has no documentary validity. It must state who prepared it, who reviewed it and who approved it, along with the corresponding dates.

Not aligned with the rest of the system. The technical data sheet must be consistent with the product record in the ERP, with raw-material purchasing specifications, and with quality control records. Inconsistencies between documents create confusion and non-conformities.

How to keep them updated and version-controlled

Having well-built technical data sheets is only half the job. The real challenge is keeping them alive and under control. Here are some practical pointers:

Set up a clear approval workflow. Define who can modify a data sheet, who reviews it and who approves it before publishing. Without a documented workflow, changes get made informally and traceability is lost.

Link data sheets to formulation or supplier changes. Every time a relevant change happens — a new ingredient, a supplier change, a process modification — it should automatically trigger a review of the affected technical data sheet. This link needs to be built into your change management procedure.

Control distribution. Knowing which version each customer or supplier has is just as important as keeping the data sheet updated internally. Keep a record of who received each version and when.

Set a mandatory periodic review. Even when nothing has changed, data sheets should be reviewed at a minimum interval — typically annually — to confirm they're still valid. This review should be logged.

Use a centralized system. Managing technical data sheets in scattered spreadsheets or shared folders with no access control is a constant source of errors. A centralized system with version control, review alerts and change traceability eliminates most of these problems.

How to manage data sheets and versions in Solved

Solved is quality software built specifically for the food industry, and managing product technical data sheets is one of its core features. With Solved you can centralize all your product data sheets in a single digital repository, with automatic version control: every change is logged with date, user and a description of the change, and the full history is always available for any audit.

The system lets you configure custom approval workflows, so no technical data sheet can be published without going through the designated reviewers and approvers. Solved also sends automatic alerts when a data sheet is approaching its periodic review date, so no document goes stale without anyone noticing.

Integration between product data sheets, quality control records and supplier management guarantees the documentary consistency that the industry's leading standards demand. With Solved, your food technical data sheets stop being an audit headache and become a competitive advantage: they show customers and certifiers rigor, traceability and professionalism.

If you want to see how it works in practice, request a demo and discover what a quality system built for the food industry can do for your team.

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