FDA Publishes New FAQs and Tools for the Food Traceability Rule
The FDA has posted new frequently asked questions and additional tools related to the FSMA Food Traceability Rule to help clarify how the rule applies to specific situations and commodities.
The new FAQs address are largely based on questions received during the FDA’s regular interactions with industry and on questions sent via the Technical Assistance Network, a central source of information for questions related to the FSMA rules, programs, and implementation strategies.
Along with the FAQs, additional tools developed to help further educate and inform industry subject to the Food Traceability Rule are accessible from the FDA’s traceability website, including:
- Addition of the results for all foods and associated commodity-hazard pairs included in the Risk-Ranking Model for Food Tracing—beyond what appear on the food traceability list
- Additional description on the Food Traceability List webpage to clarify that “nut butters” include all forms of nut butters—shelf-stable, refrigerated, and frozen products
- Eight new supply chain examples that illustrate how the rule is applied in different scenarios for different commodities
- What you need to know about the Food Traceability Rule fact sheets on “Recordkeeping Information for Produce Farms” and “Coverage and Exemption for Produce Farms”
- Guide to Getting Started with the Food Traceability Rule
- Additional foreign language translations of the Critical Tracking Event and Key Data Elements interactive tool and supply chain examples.
The compliance date for the Food Traceability Rule is January 20, 2026.
Related Articles
-
The final rule will become effective 60 days after it is published in the Federal Register. The compliance date for all persons subject to the recordkeeping requirements is two years after the effective date.
-
The goal is to put more recordkeeping requirements in place for specific foods based on risk.
-
The compliance guide describes the requirements of the Food Traceability regulation to assist small entities, including farms and small businesses, in complying with the applicable recordkeeping requirements.
-
The seventh and final FSMA rule involving food defense is out.
