The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday announced an extension for the Food Traceability Rule (FSMA 204) by 30 months. 

In a statement published online, the FDA said it “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.”

The federal agency said it doesn’t intend to amend the requirements of the final rule but is extending the compliance date – originally January, 2026 – by an additional 30 months. 

“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. 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,” the FDA said in the announcement.

Traceability recordkeeping requirements will be required (beyond what is already required in existing regulations) for persons who manufacture, process, pack, or hold foods on the Food Traceability List. The final rule applies to domestic and foreign entities producing food for U.S. consumption and was issued in 2022, in accordance with the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act.

The delay follows a study released last year that found almost half of all suppliers commonly rely on legacy approaches to manage communications with buyers in the food and beverage industry. 

Read more on this in our sister publication, Food Safety Magazine.