Section 204 of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act led to the Food Traceability Rule, which requires businesses that manufacture, process, pack or hold foods on the FDA's Food Traceability List to keep additional records. The list includes items such as leafy greens, fresh herbs, tomatoes, peppers, melons, cheeses other than hard cheeses, shell eggs, finfish and crustaceans.
The rule is built around critical tracking events, such as receiving, shipping and transformation, and the key data elements recorded for each, linked by a traceability lot code. Covered businesses must keep a traceability plan and be able to give the FDA the records within 24 hours of a request, including as an electronic sortable spreadsheet in some situations.
The compliance date is July 20, 2028. Distributors handling foods on the list should check the rule's text and the FDA's guidance for what applies to them; software records the events, but the plan and the supplier data are the business's responsibility.
Source: FDA: Food Traceability Rule