The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its intention to extend the compliance deadline for the Food Traceability Rule by 30 months.
The rule, initially set to take effect in January 2026, aims to enhance food safety by requiring improved traceability recordkeeping for businesses that manufacture, process, pack, or hold foods listed on the Food Traceability List.
The FDA stated that while the rule’s requirements remain unchanged, the additional time will allow the food industry to coordinate across the supply chain to ensure full compliance. The agency emphasized that the extension does not alter its commitment to food safety but provides businesses with the time to fully implement the new traceability standards.
“The compliance date extension affords covered entities additional time to ensure complete coordination across the supply chain,” the FDA said in its announcement. “Ultimately, this will provide FDA and consumers with greater transparency and food safety.”
Grocery and Food Industry Groups Welcome Delay
Industry groups such as the National Grocers Association (NGA) and FMI – The Food Industry Association praised the FDA’s decision, citing concerns over the feasibility of meeting the original timeline and the financial burden the rule could impose on grocers and food suppliers.
“The delay provides much-needed relief for independent grocers, who would have faced operational burdens and higher costs,” said Stephanie Johnson, NGA’s group vice president of government relations. “The traceability rule’s original timeline was nearly impossible to meet across our vast and dynamic food system.”
FMI President and CEO Leslie G. Sarasin echoed this sentiment, stating that while the food industry supports efforts to improve traceability, the rule in its current form presents challenges that could impact food costs and supply chain efficiency.
“This regulation is the most complex FDA rule our industry has ever faced. While additional time is critical for efficient implementation, we also believe the FDA should reexamine certain aspects of the rule to allow for greater flexibility,” Sarasin said. “It’s essential that FDA ensures it can use the required data to improve food safety before imposing billions of dollars in costs that will drive up prices throughout the supply chain.”
Furthermore, ReposiTrak, a leading food traceability and compliance network, commended the FDA for recognizing the need for more time. Chairman and CEO Randy Fields highlighted the importance of quality data in ensuring traceability success.
“Every trading partner needs to learn how to collect, analyze, manage, and share quality data to avoid a garbage-in-garbage-out problem,” Fields said. He added that the extension allows companies to implement effective traceability systems, ensuring the rule achieves its intended impact without disrupting the supply chain.
Related Article: FDA’s Final Food Traceability Rule Raises Questions from NGA and FMI
Consumer Advocates Criticized the Delay of the Food Traceability Rule
Despite industry support for the delay, consumer advocacy groups strongly opposed the decision, arguing that it jeopardizes public health by slowing the ability to track and remove contaminated food from the market.
Consumer Reports, which had urged the FDA to resist industry pressure, expressed deep disappointment in the decision.
“This decision is extremely disappointing and puts consumers at risk,” said Brian Ronholm, food policy director at Consumer Reports. “Many retailers had already planned to comply with the rule, but today’s announcement may stall that progress. Delaying this critical food safety rule undermines the administration’s goal of making America healthy again.”
Ronholm noted that the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), passed in 2010 with bipartisan support, required the FDA to implement traceability regulations more than a decade ago. After legal challenges and delays, the FDA finalized the rule in 2022, setting a compliance deadline of 2026. With the extension, full implementation may not occur until the early 2030s.
Food Traceability Debate Highlights Industry Gaps
Sarah Sorscher, director of regulatory affairs at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, criticized the delay, calling it a setback for food safety transparency.
“Today’s announcement will be welcomed by some members of the grocery store industry, which has lagged behind other sectors in traceability and has lobbied President Trump to delay and gut the rule,” Sorscher said. “While some grocery stores are on track to comply with the rule, others have lagged behind and claim they will not be able to meet the new requirements, which were finalized in 2022.”
Sorscher emphasized that modern technology should make food tracking more efficient, but the delay allows gaps in the system to persist.
“In 2025, the United States has access to some of the best technology in the world for keeping track of products moving through the food system, yet we still have a hard time figuring out where a bag of lettuce came from or getting contaminated peanut butter off the shelves,” she said. “This rule, when fully implemented, will shed new light on the inner workings of our food system. Unfortunately, this delay will only keep the public in the dark.”
Next Steps for FDA and the Food Industry
While the FDA intends to use the extension period to work with industry stakeholders, the decision highlights a broader debate over balancing food safety regulations with industry feasibility. The agency will continue to provide technical assistance, tools, and resources to support food traceability compliance while engaging in discussions to address industry concerns.
The final rule applies to domestic and foreign food producers supplying the U.S. market, meaning the delay affects global supply chains. As the food industry adapts to the new requirements, consumer advocates warn that further delays could compromise food safety efforts.
With the compliance extension, businesses have until mid-2028 to implement the rule’s traceability requirements. In the meantime, food safety experts and advocacy groups will continue pressing for stricter oversight to ensure that when the rule does take effect, it delivers on its promise to reduce foodborne illness outbreaks and improve public health.