The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has decided to extend the compliance date for the Food Traceability Rule (final rule) by 30 months.
The Food Traceability Rule establishes that those who process, manufacture or otherwise handle foods on the Food Traceability List maintain record-keeping requirements beyond those under current regulation.
Items on the list include certain cheeses, nut butters, leafy greens and tomatoes, among other fare.
The final rule requires a higher degree of coordination between members of the food industry than has been required in the past. Therefore, the FDA believes that to achieve the full public health benefits of the final rule, all covered entities must be in compliance.
The final rule is meant to allow for faster identification and removal of potentially contaminated food from the market, resulting in fewer foodborne illnesses and deaths. The compliance date extension affords covered entities additional time to ensure complete coordination across the supply chain in order to fully implement the final rule’s requirements.
The new compliance date is Jan. 20, 2026.
“While we are disappointed by the 30-month delay in compliance with the FDA’s Food Traceability Rule, we acknowledge the complexities of implementing a regulation with global impact. However, public health must remain a top priority. The persistence of foodborne illness and recalls underscores the need for food industry stakeholders to invest in traceability and advance their efforts quickly, regardless of regulatory timelines.
“Moreover, as many global regulations and initiatives continue to prioritize traceability as a foundational element, it is critical for the food industry to stay aligned with these global efforts to meet both regulatory and consumer demands. We encourage food industry stakeholders to use this time to collaborate across the food system and adopt best practices that strengthen traceability. …” said Blake Harris, technical director of the Institute of Food Technologists’ Global Food Traceability Center.
The FDA intends to use the extended time period to continue the agency’s work with stakeholders, including by participating in cross-sector dialogue to identify solutions to implementation challenges and by continuing to provide technical assistance, tools and other resources to assist industry with implementation.
The final rule applies to domestic and foreign entities producing food for U.S. consumption and was issued in 2022 in accordance with the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
The FSMA is the FDA’s attempt to prevent foodborne illnesses.
“Congress enacted FSMA in response to dramatic changes in the global food system and in our understanding of foodborne illness and its consequences, including the realization that preventable foodborne illness is both a significant public health problem and a threat to the economic well-being of the food system,” the FDA stated on its website.
Several rules are part of FSMA, including the Food Traceability Rule. Others focus on produce safety, sanitary transportation of food, pre-harvest agricultural water and more.
