Editor's Note: Although the FDA has announced an extension to comply with the Food Traceability Rule, the agency has not indicated any changes to the rule. Don't miss the latest on what this means to your company and the FDA's decision during the upcoming NACS Food Safety Forum on Tuesday, April 8 in Dallas. Register today.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Thursday that it intends to extend the compliance date for its Food Traceability Rule by an additional 30 months, giving businesses until July 20, 2028 to comply. The rule, finalized in 2022, is part of FDA’s efforts to strengthen its response to foodborne illness outbreaks, but NACS and others in the broader food industry have long raised concerns about the rule’s unworkable requirements.
Although the compliance deadline is being extended, the FDA states that it has no plans to change the rule’s existing requirements. NACS will continue to advocate for major changes to, or withdrawal of, the rule. But, while the extension offers some welcome relief, NACS cautions that retailers should not interpret the delay as a reason to postpone preparing for the final rule.
For retailers, the extended timeline offers more breathing room to prepare, but the rule’s stringent requirements remain. “The delay is helpful, but it’s not a reprieve,” said Margaret Mannion, NACS director of government relations. “Convenience retailers need to still be thinking about how they might build or update their systems to comply with the final rule that requires them to track information they may have never had to capture before.”
The Food Traceability Rule would require businesses to track and maintain data on foods listed on the FDA’s Food Traceability List, which includes everyday products sold in convenience stores, like fresh-cut fruit, deli salads and cheeses. The rule’s recordkeeping requirements are staggering, requiring stores to track products down to the lot code of a single ingredient. Additionally, if retailers “transform” food in any way (such as slicing fruit or preparing sandwiches), they are classified as processors, triggering even more complex and costly recordkeeping obligations.
In its announcement, the FDA stated that it “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 FSA's traceability rule will be a topic of discussion at the upcoming NACS Food Safety Forum, taking place on Tuesday, April 8 in Dallas in conjunction with the 2025 NACS State of the Industry Summit.