Dive Brief:
- The FDA said it would delay requiring companies and grocery stores to trace the foods in their supply chains so they can be quickly removed from shelves in the case of contamination.
- The agency is pushing back its food traceability rule by 30 months to allow companies more time to comply. The requirement was set to go into effect on January 20, 2026.
- The delay comes after several high-profile outbreaks affected major companies including Boar's Head and McDonald's. Hospitalizations and deaths from contaminated food doubled in 2024, according to a report from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.
Dive Insight:
Proposed during President Donald Trump's first term, the food traceability rule enhances recordkeeping requirements so companies can identify their suppliers when a foodborne illness outbreak occurs.
The requirement was in response to a widespread E. Coli outbreak in romaine lettuce in 2018. A lack of recordkeeping made it difficult to determine where the outbreak originated, forcing the FDA to make the unusual request that consumers throw out all romaine lettuce.
Since then, investigations into foodborne outbreaks have continued to be hampered by a lack of data. Last October, when chicken supplier BrucePac recalled more than 12 million pounds of meat used in frozen or prepared meals due to a listeria outbreak, it could not provide a full list of products with the potentially contaminated items.
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. Kroger, Albertsons and Walmart all have traceability programs that are more robust than what the FDA’s rules require, according to Grocery Dive.
The National Grocers Association, which had pushed for the traceability rule to be delayed, said in a statement the original timeline "was nearly impossible to meet" for smaller grocers in particular. The group noted the requirements "added exorbitant costs and operational complexity."
"The FDA’s decision to delay compliance provides much-needed relief for independent grocers, who would have been forced to pass these burdensome costs on to consumers," said Stephanie Johnson, NGA’s vice president of government relations.
FMI — The Food Industry Association also “welcomed” the delay and noted that the additional time will help the grocery industry meet the intent of the regulations.
“The food traceability rule is the most complex FDA regulation our industry has ever faced. Our member companies are spending millions of dollars every day to try to comply with its complexity, even as it is clear the rule is unworkable in its current form and may not achieve the agency’s stated goals,” FMI President and CEO Leslie G. Sarasin said in a statement.
ReposiTrak, a food traceability and regulatory compliance network provider, said giving companies more time “increases the likelihood they will produce the required quality data for their supply chains.”
The Center for Science in the Public Interest said the delay will "only serve to keep the public in the dark."
"In the year 2025, the United States has access to some of the best technology in the world for keeping track of products moving through the food system, yet we still have a hard time figuring out where a bag of lettuce came from and getting contaminated peanut butter off the shelves," Sarah Sorscher, CSPI’s director of regulatory affairs, said in a statement. "This rule, when fully implemented, will shed new light on the inner workings of our food system."
“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,” Blake Harris, technical director of IFT's Global Food Traceability Center, said in a statement.
