The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on March 20, 2025 that it was delaying the compliance date for the Food Traceability Rule by 30 months.
“Part of the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the Food Traceability Rule requires any company that manufactures or holds foods to maintain detailed documentation, allowing companies to quickly track products back through the supply chain in cases of food borne illness and recalls,” reported SeafoodSource.
The FDA’s decision to delay compliance will delay enforcement of the Food Traceability Rule from January 2026 into mid-2028 (July 20, 2028).
“The traceability rule’s original timeline was nearly impossible to meet across the vast and dynamic food system,” Stephanie Jonhson, National Grocers Association, told SeafoodSource.
FDA Remains Committed to Implementing the Rule
The FDA said in its announcement that it remained committed to implementing the Food Traceability Rule despite the delay.
“The FDA remains committed to successful implementation of the full requirements of the final rule, as they will allow for faster identification and removal of potentially contaminated food from the market, resulting in fewer foodborne illnesses and deaths,” said the FDA. “Accordingly, the compliance date extension does not amend, nor do we intend to amend, the requirements of the final rule, which will improve food safety and protect public health.”
The FDA said the compliance data extension affords covered entities the additional time necessary to ensure complete coordination across the supply chain to fully implement the final rule’s requirements – ultimately providing FDA and consumers with greater transparency and food safety.
“The final rule establishes additional traceability recordkeeping requirements (beyond what is already required in existing regulations) for persons who manufacture, process, pack, or hold foods on the Food Traceability List,” explained the FDA. “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.”
FDA Felt Food Supply Chain Not Ready for Enforcement
The FDA cited coordination and cooperation across the total food supply chain as a reason for delaying enforcement of the Food Traceability Rule.
“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. Therefore, FDA intends to allow industry additional time, across all regulated sectors, to fully implement the final rule’s requirements,” said the FDA.
The FDA said it intends to use the extended time 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.
Food Groups and Retailers React
The NACS said that 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.”
Food Processing reported that the Consumer Brands Association commended HHS and FDA for working with the industry to extend the timeline of the Traceability Rule: “Safety is the consumer packaged goods industry's number one priority. In order to protect public health, it's imperative that the Traceability Rule be implemented in an effective and efficient manner and allows the time for cost implementation and compliance.”
The Food Institute of Food Technologists were not as happy with the delay, Food Processing reporting their reaction: “While we are disappointed by the 30-month delay ... 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.”
The Food Industry Association, according to Food Safety, applauded the delay but are still critical of the final rule: “While additional time is critical for efficient implementation across all sectors, we also strongly believe FDA should reexamine certain aspects of the rule to provide flexibility for the industry to improve traceability without unnecessarily burdening the supply chain and increasing food costs to consume.”
And the National Grocers Association commented to Food Safety: “Disproportionately impacting smaller grocers, the traceability rule’s original timeline was nearly impossible to meet across the vast and dynamic food system. It quickly added exorbitant costs and operational complexity, threatening grocers’ ability to serve their communities effectively."
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