Tag Archives: traceability rule

Frank Yiannas, Walmart

Frank Yiannas Joins iFoodDS Board of Directors

By Food Safety Tech Staff
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Frank Yiannas, Walmart

Frank Yiannas, former Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response at the FDA, has joined the iFoodDS Board of Directors. iFoodDS is a provider of connected traceability, quality and food safety solutions. Yiannas will advise the company on strategy.

During his time at the FDA, Yiannas was responsible for a broad range of priorities, including implementing the Food Traceability Rule under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Prior to joining the FDA, he spent more than 30 years in food safety leadership roles with Walmart and the Walt Disney Company.

Yiannas has long been a champion of supply chain innovation and technology, making technology-enabled food traceability in the global supply chain a priority in the FDA’s New Era of Smarter Food Safety initiative.

“Frank is a visionary in the food supply chain, using his insight, knowledge and passion for innovation to enhance food safety and safeguard public health,” said Scott Mathews, CEO of iFoodDS. “We are excited to welcome him to the iFoodDS board of directors. His insights will be invaluable as we pursue our vision of a connected food value chain, enabling better collaboration between trading partners and providing insights on product safety, quality and freshness, ultimately reducing food waste and benefiting food companies and consumers alike.”

“I believe that technology will transform the food supply chain, making it safer for consumers, optimizing it, and creating shared value for all supply chain participants,” said Yiannas. “I’m excited to join the iFoodDS board of directors, and to be part of a company that has the food industry expertise, solution capabilities, and vision to not only help companies comply with FSMA 204 regulation, but to help them ensure continued business success by enabling a safer, more predictable food supply and transparency that protects brands and consumers.”

 

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FDA Publishes New FAQs and Tools for the Food Traceability Rule

By Food Safety Tech Staff
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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.

 

 

IFT logo

IFT Launches Commodity-specific Food Traceability Video Series

By Food Safety Tech Staff
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The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), a nonprofit scientific organization committed to advancing the science of food and its application across the global food system, has released a series of educational videos designed to help food companies better understand how the FDA’s Food Traceability Rule will impact their operations as well as provide guidance on compliance.

“Supply chains were built to move product, not data, so the new regulations are going to be an enormous challenge for those working in food areas identified as being the most potentially harmful to consumers, such as seafood and fruits and vegetables,” said Sara Bratager, Food Traceability & Food Safety Scientist at IFT.

The commodity-specific videos cover the key sections of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Rule 204 for each of the foods listed on the FDA’s Food Traceability List.

The FDA’s traceability rule is meant to help facilitate more efficient recalls during a foodborne illness outbreak by requiring a more standardized approach to capturing and sharing product identification and movement data throughout the food chain. This will allow for quicker and more accurate tracking of potentially harmful products, reducing the impact of foodborne illness outbreaks on consumers. All products covered by the rule must be in compliance by January 20, 2026.

“After the announcement by the FDA in November 2022, many food companies were left wondering how the traceability rule would impact them. Now these companies are officially on the clock and must start preparing to be in compliance in less than three years. IFT has created these commodity-specific video to help them gain a better understanding of the road ahead and provide them with the knowledge and tools to help them on their traceability journey,” said IFT Chief Science and Technology Officer Bryan Hitchcock.

To view IFT’s commodity-specific Food Traceability Rule videos, click here.

 

 

Sara Bratager

Traceability and the Need for Global Standards

By Food Safety Tech Staff
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Sara Bratager

The FDA will officially implement a new food traceability rule on November 7, 2022. While the new rule requires a detailed account of food’s origin and movements throughout production, processing and shipping, the food industry still lacks international standardized guidelines that factor in countries’ varying health and agricultural priorities. As this continues to be one of the global food system’s biggest challenges, we spoke with Sara Bratager, Food Traceability & Food Safety Scientist at the Institute of Food Technologists, to discuss where the food industry stands currently, and opportunities to establish a global standard that is mutually beneficial (and achievable) for all. 

The FDA is scheduled to finalize new FSMA traceability rule on November 7. What are some of the key changes that food manufacturers and suppliers will need to address with the new rule?

Bratager: The finalized rule will be published in November. Based on the proposed rule, it will go into effect in January 2023 (60 days after publication) and companies will have two years after that to make any adjustments needed to achieve compliance. Entities that produce, process, ship or receive any of the products on the Food Traceability List will need to capture and store the established Key Data Elements (KDEs) at each of the Critical Tracking Events (CTEs) relevant to their operation. The rule will also require companies to provide electronic traceability information to the FDA no more than 24 hours after a request is made, necessitating a significant transition from traditional paper-based traceability systems.

How prepared is the food industry to implement these changes?

Bratager: Preparedness differs throughout the food industry; some industry actors have been preparing since the release of the proposed rule, while others have chosen to forgo significant effort pending finalization of the rule. Some entities may have even engaged in unintentional preparation; companies or commodities that have been the subject of repeated recalls and subsequent traceability initiatives will likely find themselves better prepared than traceability newcomers. The food tech industry is prepared to deliver digital traceability solutions that facilitate compliance among supply chain actors, but implementation is likely to be a challenge for many. Some operations will achieve compliance with minimal disruption, whereas others will face a more burdensome effort.

How will this affect companies working with global suppliers?

Bratager: The proposed rule covers any ingredients or foods on the Food Traceability List that may be sourced from global suppliers. One of the biggest challenges for companies working with global suppliers will be coordination and communication between supply chain partners. Some companies may find themselves responsible for educating their international trading partners on FSMA requirements. However, understanding will not guarantee compliance. Some global suppliers are already reporting traceability data for domestic or other export requirements and will be hesitant to take on the burden of yet another traceability scheme. The increasingly globalized nature of our food system highlights the need for traceability standards that streamline data collection and reporting efforts through the supply chain.

Are there any efforts underway to develop global standards related to food traceability?

Bratager: Several standards exist currently. The International Organization for Standardization’s ISO 22005:2007 details basic requirements for the design and implementation of food/feed traceability systems at an organizational level. GS1, the organization best known for barcodes, provides several foundational standards for the identification, capture and sharing of data; their EPCIS standard that allows disparate applications to create and share traceability event data is particularly relevant.

Food operations are incredibly unique, and widespread standards uptake will likely require a degree of customization, which is why sector or commodity-specific efforts that build upon existing foundational standards are so important. The Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST) provides a great example with their GDST 1.1 Standard for interoperable seafood traceability that is built upon GS1 foundations. A second example is the Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI).

How can the industry and regulators move toward developing a global standard for traceability in the food industry?

Bratager: A necessary first step is alignment around the definition of traceability. Regulatory agencies and industry actors across the globe adhere to different definitions but cohesive, global progress will require alignment around a common definition for traceability.

Industry can support the creation and uptake of pre-competitive, commodity-based traceability initiatives that drive adopters toward common practices and data standardization. Interoperability must also be prioritized. Demand for interoperable data sharing will necessitate and incentivize widespread adoption of data standards.