1. A method of managing a material batch, the method comprising: physically affixing to a material batch a documentary batch number that is associated with the material batch in a computer system, the documentary batch number allowing a tracing of at least one ingredient in the material batch; placing the material batch with the affixed documentary batch number in inventory; and in response to the material batch being removed from the inventory for delivery, reading the documentary batch number from the material batch for receipt in the computer system, wherein management of the material batch in the inventory taken before reading the documentary batch number is not tracked by the computer system, so that the material batch is indistinguishable in the computer system from other material batches in the inventory before the documentary batch number is read, and so that the material batch is distinguished from the other material batches after the documentary batch number is read, wherein the computer system records only information that affects material composition of the material batch in association with the documentary batch number.