Traceability is a modern concept that allows following a product’s route from raw materials to the selling stage, taking into consideration its complete flow by means of identifying and tracking procedures and documents. Recently, food traceability has gained significant importance as it allows efficient identification, correction or removal of risk factors throughout the food chain in order to deliver only safe and quality products to consumers. The paper aims to outline the main food traceability conceptual approaches and to highlight traceability key-elements and objectives in order to emphasize the significance of a traceability system for the food chain.