FSMA 204: The Road to Enhanced Traceability

Guest blogger Julie McGill, Vice President of Supply Chain Strategy and Insights, shares insights about the release of the Final Rule for FSMA 204.

Effective November 7, 2022, the FDA updated its website with a statement about the anticipated release of the publication.

“Imagine a future in which all the information we need about food or how it is being produced is available to us at the speed of thought. Now is not the time for small steps, neither at FDA nor in your own organization. Let’s do this together. It CAN be done.”

Frank Yiannis, Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response, FDA

With the long-awaited publication of FSMA 204 Rule for Enhanced Traceability Recordkeeping, it’s time for the food industry to bring this vision to life. This groundbreaking regulation will be published to the Federal Register and available to the food industry in November 2022. 

Now is the time to make big plans, to aim high, and to recognize that the traceability programs that we build today are the foundation for a future where we will bend the curve of foodborne illness in our global food systems. 

With FSMA 204, food companies are preparing to collect enhanced traceability data for products listed on the FDA’s Food Traceability List. This regulation mandates the linking of incoming and outgoing products, with lot-level traceability, for certain foods. This work will be complex and require collaboration and input from stakeholders across the food industry, including growers, processors, distributors, operators, grocers, solution providers, associations, and many others. 

We are at an inflection point, and our multi-faceted, complex, global supply chains are the catalyst. To address this, the FDA is taking a new approach to food safety through the New Era of Smarter Food Safety, leveraging technology and other tools and techniques to create a safer, more digital, traceable food system. 

What do you need to know about FSMA 204 compliance? 

1. Tech-Enabled traceability is essential for competitive food businesses and provides business value beyond compliance and consumer protection
2. Companies are at risk if they do not understand their role and approach to capturing and sharing enhanced traceability data for high-risk foods
3. The proposed traceability timelines are feasible with aggressive action on the planning and development of digital traceability programs
4. Advanced traceability record keeping is here to stay, this is only the beginning

You need a trusted partner with industry expertise and extensive knowledge in traceability solutions to help ensure you’re meeting FSMA 204 compliance, customer requirements, and consumer expectations. No other solution provider has decades of food industry expertise and experience that we do.

FoodLogiQ Track + Trace provides a platform to gather Critical Tracking Events for your products and ingredients at the lot level. Track + Trace can also visualize your entire supply chain, delivering the data-driven transparency your company needs today and tomorrow. You can empower your team to make data-driven decisions based on supply chain traceability.

We are the leading industry experts in tech-enabled food traceability and your first choice for FSMA 204 compliance support. If your organization is looking for a platform to streamline your workflow, implement corrective actions, or centralize required recordkeeping, reach out to our experts at FoodLogiQ today.