Traceability has been a hot issue for most food companies since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) passed the final Food Traceability Rule in November 2022, especially with the original January 2026 compliance deadline approaching. However, food companies will likely have extra time to prepare, as the FDA announced on March 20, 2025 its intention to extend the compliance date for the Food Traceability Rule by 30 months.

Additional Time

KTL originally reported in our Top Food Trends for 2025 article of speculation that this deadline could be delayed due to a provision in the current draft House appropriations bill that would prohibit funding for implementation, administration, or enforcement of these regulations. According to FDA, “The compliance date extension affords covered entities the additional time necessary to ensure complete coordination across the supply chain in order to fully implement the final rule’s requirements—ultimately providing FDA and consumers with greater transparency and food safety.”

The FDA is planning to follow appropriate procedures and publish a proposed rule to extend the compliance date at a later time to be determined. The Agency remains committed to implementing the full requirements of the final rule but giving industry additional time to comply and itself time to provide additional technical assistance, tools, and other resources to assist industry. 

Stay the Course

Regardless of the compliance deadline, organizations should continue working on their traceability systems and programs. This includes performing traceability exercises to help identify gaps, testing protocols and verifying effectiveness, implementing corrective actions, and ensuring adequate traceability processes are in place. Investing in a good technology solution that integrates with the food safety management system (FSMS) will help to further streamline the process.