The compliance date for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Food Traceability Rule, fulfilling Section 204(d) of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA 204), is approaching.

Meeting the need for food traceability solutions, TraceGains and iFoodDS are extending their strategic alliance, strengthening integration between TraceGains Supplier Management and iFoodDS Trace Exchange. The integration is intended to help food and beverage companies and their suppliers turn compliance with federal traceability regulations into a source of competitive advantage.

The alliance delivers seamless data integration that simplifies how suppliers share traceability data and how food and beverage companies identify, monitor, and work with FSMA 204-ready trading partners.

TraceGains’ global network spans more than 100,000 supplier locations, giving food and beverage companies unprecedented visibility into their supply base. iFoodDS’ Trace Exchange platform provides a flexible, scalable traceability solution purpose-built to support FSMA 204 requirements across complex supplier networks. By integrating these platforms, traceability data sharing and compliance management become a natural extension of existing supplier workflows.

The partnership enables suppliers to earn the TraceApproved FSMA 204 traceability readiness badge through iFoodDS and showcase the credential directly on their supplier profiles within Gather, the TraceGains supplier marketplace. Food and beverage companies can search for and engage suppliers that have demonstrated their readiness to comply with FSMA 204—reducing risk, accelerating onboarding, and improving supply chain decision-making.

The integration also enables seamless data sharing between the platforms, including master product and location data and critical tracking event data. This eliminates duplicate effort for suppliers, reduces errors, and supports integrated reporting within TraceGains Supplier Management.

Developed with guidance from traceability and food safety leaders, the TraceApproved program is designed to help suppliers prepare for FSMA 204 requirements while meeting customer-specific data-sharing and labeling expectations.