PFT and FDA will host two town halls on Food Traceability Rule implementation efforts in 2026.
These town hall meetings will provide a forum for FDA to gather stakeholder feedback on lot-level traceability efforts and challenges facing industry. FDA is interested in hearing about the challenges created by the current requirements and potential solutions for satisfying the rule’s lot-level tracking requirements. The goal of these town halls will be to identify and discuss specific solutions and how the solutions can benefit both industry and FDA.
Please register separately for each virtual town hall that you would like to attend.
The FDA final rule on the Food Safety Modernization Act’s Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods (Food Traceability Rule) establishes enhanced recordkeeping requirements for those who manufacture, process, pack or hold foods on FDA’s Food Traceability List. The Rule mandates lot-level tracking for foods on the Food Traceability List, requiring businesses to assign unique codes, known as Traceability Lot Codes, and record Key Data Elements (KDEs) at specific Critical Track Events (CTEs), like initial packing, transformation, and shipping. Lot-level tracking enables rapid tracing of contaminated foods during recall events, narrowing the scope of recalls and removing affected product from the supply chain quickly. The current compliance date for the Food Traceability Rule is July 20, 2028.
Each town hall will take place virtually from 12 to 2 p.m. ET. Interested parties are invited to attend either or both town halls. There is no fee to attend.
Each town hall is expected to include introductory comments followed by an opportunity for interested parties to make verbal comments.
Individuals interested in providing comments during the town hall should indicate their request to speak by checking the relevant box on the registration form at least 10 days in advance of the date at which they would like to speak. There will be no same-day registration available for speakers. We will strive to accommodate speaker requests within time constraints. Individuals and organizations with common interests are encouraged to consolidate or coordinate their comments and may submit a single request to speak. Time allotted for each speaker will depend on the number of requests received.
The Partnership for Food Traceability (PFT) is an independent, sector-neutral nonprofit Public-Private Partnership developing a shared, overarching vision for food traceability across the supply chain, allowing for streamlined implementation of compliant traceability systems. Through the formal Public-Private Partnership structure, PFT provides a forum in which FDA and industry can work together, with FDA’s technical assistance and advisement, to coordinate food traceability approaches across diverse supply chain sectors to comply with the Food Traceability Rule, with the goal of effectively removing potentially contaminated products from the market more rapidly. PFT’s membership spans producers (including growers and harvesters), manufacturers and processors, distributors (including packagers, wholesalers, holders, and shippers), retailers and grocers, and restaurants across diverse commodities (including produce, seafood, cheese, packaged, and prepared food). Membership includes industry members, trade associations, technology vendors, and technical experts.
For questions regarding this town hall, please contact [email protected].
