Mar 20, 2025

Arlington, VA – Today, FMI – The Food Industry Association welcomed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) announcement of its intention to extend the compliance date for the Food Traceability Rule. The food industry is committed to food safety and protecting public health through increased traceability to help FDA solve foodborne illness outbreaks as quickly as possible. FMI appreciates FDA’s recognition that more time is needed for compliance with the overly complex rule to ensure it does not unnecessarily increase food costs and burden the food supply chain. FMI President and CEO Leslie G. Sarasin offered the following statement. 

“FMI applauds FDA’s announcement today that the agency intends to extend the compliance date for the Food Traceability Rule by 30 months. While additional time is critical for efficient implementation across all sectors, we also strongly believe FDA should reexamine certain aspects of the rule to provide flexibility for the industry to improve traceability without unnecessarily burdening the supply chain and increasing food costs to consumers. Today’s extension is critical to allow the industry to meet the regulation’s intent while ensuring FDA is able to receive and utilize the data it needs to improve food safety more efficiently with the least impact on consumer prices. 

“The food traceability rule is the most complex FDA regulation our industry has ever faced. Our member companies are spending millions of dollars every day to try to comply with its complexity, even as it is clear the rule is unworkable in its current form and may not achieve the agency’s stated goals. While we fully support efforts to improve traceability, we must ensure that FDA can use the information required by the regulation to improve food safety before billions of dollars and millions of hours are invested that will drive up costs throughout the supply chain. We look forward to working with FDA to ensure there is a reasonable timeline and application of the regulation so that food companies of all sizes can comply and keep America’s food system the safest, most abundant and most affordable in the world.

“We thank the Trump administration for taking steps necessary to provide more time for problem solving, technological innovation and collaboration that helps make compliance achievable for industry while improving food safety and public health for consumers. This action by the administration will make a tremendous difference to consumers in communities throughout the country who, by this action, will not experience avoidable food price increases."