Input Stories

The Food and Drug Administration is giving manufacturers, grocery stores and other businesses more time to comply with a rule that requires companies to keep detailed records of certain foods across their entire supply chain to improve their “traceability” (Supply Chain Dive).

The details: The 30-month extension gives businesses—especially small and medium-sized manufacturers—more time to develop and deploy the complex systems needed to gather, track and sort logistical data for each batch of “high-risk foods” they handle.

• “The FDA rules apply to high-risk items such as soft cheeses and produce. Grocers were preparing for the traceability measure to take effect by instituting new rules among their suppliers,” according to Supply Chain Dive.

The burden: Many small businesses lack the information technology infrastructure, software and workforce necessary to meet the rule’s electronic-tracking requirements, and even large businesses with sophisticated traceability capabilities were concerned about achieving interoperability within their extensive supply chains by the compliance date.

• Small businesses without the technology and resources to meet the rule’s recordkeeping and data-sharing requirements would create gaps in traceability records, compromising the entire supply chain’s ability to maintain end-to-end compliance with the rule.

The NAM says: When it informed President Trump of manufacturers’ regulatory priorities back in December, the NAM urged an extension to the traceability rule and requested that the FDA coordinate closely with industry to develop streamlined rules that would ease the burden on SMMs.

• “Without clear benefits for foodborne illness prevention, the rule subjects tens of thousands of products to complex tracking requirements across the entire supply chain,” the NAM said.
• “The FDA should make these requirements more flexible and streamlined, while also extending the 2026 compliance deadline by at least three years to give industry stakeholders time to develop and implement effective, low-cost tracking systems. Additionally, the FDA should collaborate with industry on pilot projects to identify challenges and develop practical solutions that improve food safety.”