The restaurant industry and supply chain will have more time to comply with looming regulations on food traceability.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday announced its intention to extend the deadline for compliance with the Food Traceability Rule by 30 months—a move many players across the supply chain have been pushing for, arguing that more time was needed.
Under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) adopted in 2011, the Food Traceability Rule, known as FSMA 204, essentially requires the entire food chain to create a tracking system for certain foods. The goal is to allow federal regulators to identify and pull any potentially contaminated product in the event of a foodborne illness outbreak.
The rule was scheduled to go into effect in January 2026. But the extension will give the impacted parties more time to complete coordination across the supply chain, the FDA said, though the requirements of the rule will not change.
Even entities that were prepared to comply by January 2026 had expressed concern about the timeline, in part because they will have to rely on receiving data from other supply chain partners, who might not have been ready, the FDA said in a constituent update.
The FDA will use the time to work with stakeholders and participate in cross-sector dialogue to facilitate the process, including providing tools and technical assistance, the agency said.
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