Traceability vs Disclosure
Two structurally separate layers in product information. One records where a product moved; the other explains what the product is.
Traceability records where a product moved, who handled it, and when key events occurred. Disclosure explains what the product is, how it was produced, what the producer declared, what evidence is source-attributed, and what remains undeclared. A product can be fully traceable and still poorly understood at the product-information level.
This distinction emerged from Altibbé's research programme on Structural Gaps in Product Information Systems (SGPIS). Conflating traceability with disclosure is one of the most common drifts in food-system documentation — they answer different questions and require different information architectures.
Comparison
| Dimension | Traceability | Disclosure |
|---|---|---|
| Answers | Where did the product go? | What is the product? |
| Records | Movement, custody, timestamps | Origin, practices, claims, sources, gaps |
| Who produces it | Supply chain systems | Producer declares |
| Gaps | Not marked | Visible and declared |
| Portability | Within the traceability system | Across buyers, institutions, markets |
| Relationship | HEDAMO does not replace traceability | They address different structural questions |