FDA pushes back Food Traceability Rule compliance date by 30 months

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to extend the compliance date for the Food Traceability Rule by 30 months. The new rule will allow for faster identification and removal of potentially contaminated food from the market, improve food safety, and protect public health.

Companies manufacturing or using foods will be required to maintain detailed documentation, allowing for quick traceability of products back through the supply chain in cases of foodborne illness and recalls.

The compliance date was initially set for January 20, 2026, but it is now likely to be delayed as the FDA says the industry needs more time to prepare for compliance. 

“The compliance date extension affords covered entities the additional time necessary to ensure complete coordination across the supply chain in order to fully implement the final rule’s requirements, ultimately providing FDA and consumers with greater transparency and food safety,” says an agency statement. 

“The final rule requires a higher degree of coordination between members of the food industry than has been required in the past. Therefore, to achieve the full public health benefits of the final rule, all covered entities must be in compliance. Even those few entities who are well positioned to meet the final rule’s requirements by January 2026 have expressed concern about the timeline, in part because of their reliance on receiving accurate data from their supply chain partners, who are not similarly situated.” 

Reducing foodborne illness

The Food Traceability Rule is part of the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and requires any company that manufactures or holds foods to maintain detailed documentation. Companies should be in a position to quickly track products back through the supply chain in cases of foodborne illness and recalls. 

If a company has a product suspected of causing a foodborne illness, for instance, it can use the traceability lot code to track down the producer. 

The rule is designed to ensure better recordkeeping throughout the food supply chain by helping to solve outbreaks and facilitate efficient, targeted recalls faster. 

The FDA wants the rule to result in fewer foodborne illnesses and deaths. 

The delay has received mixed reactions. 

“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,” says Blake Harris, technical director of Institute of Food Technologists (IFT’s) Global Food Traceability Center.

“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. IFT’s Global Food Traceability Center has a variety of valuable resources that they can access at no cost. By working together and prioritizing interoperability, we can simplify traceability and better protect public health.” 

The final rule, issued in 2022 in accordance with the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, applies to domestic and foreign entities producing food for US consumption. 

The FDA will use the extended period to continue talks with stakeholders to identify solutions to implementation challenges and provide technical assistance, tools, and other resources to assist industry with implementation.

Last month, the FDA also delayed the final rule’s effective date by updating the definition of “Healthy” from February to April 2025. Last year, the FDA finalized a rule to update the nutritional requirements food items must meet to claim on their packaging that they are “healthy.” 

This postponement came as US President Donald Trump issued a notice for a “Regulatory Freeze Pending Review,” which ordered all executive departments to halt implementing new rules until agency heads were appointed. Trump also ordered agencies to postpone the effective date of any pending or proposed rules so they could be reviewed.