The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has posted answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) and additional tools to provide industry with more information about the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Food Traceability Final Rule, also known as FSMA 204. 

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we are joined by Tracy Fink of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) to discuss the Institute’s research, resources, and reach, as well as what to expect from the upcoming IFT FIRST conference taking place July 16–19, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. Additionally, Bob Ferguson, President of Strategic Consulting Inc., speaks about his latest Food Safety Insights column on processors’ thoughts about the proposed reorganization of FDA's Human Foods program. 

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we are joined by Angela Fernandez of GS1 U.S. to discuss the new requirements and opportunities for companies to improve product traceability and supply chain visibility in light of FDA’s FSMA Rule 204 and the New Era of Smarter Food Safety, and how the use of GS1 Standards can help achieve these goals. 

The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) Foundation has partnered with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approach implementing food safety regulation in a novel way. Through the spirit of "education before regulation," implementation of the groundbreaking Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) has been a success.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published a Small Entity Compliance Guide for the Food Traceability Final Rule fulfilling Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Section 204.

The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) has released a report commissioned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that evaluates food traceability trends based on 90 submissions from teams participating in FDA’s 2021 Low- or No-Cost Tech-Enabled Traceability Challenge. IFT determined that the knowledge, means, and technology have been developed to make end-to-end tech-enabled traceability a reality, but it will not be realized without collective action and continued innovation among the diverse food industry community.

In his first media interview since departing from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in February, Frank Yiannas joins Food Safety Matters to discuss his experiences and lessons learned during his tenure at the agency, his career before and after FDA, his perspective on the proposed reorganization of FDA's Human Foods Program, his own “unfinished business,” and other topics.

With the COVID-19 pandemic’s classification as a Public Health Emergency comes to an end, temporary flexibilities granted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to aid the food industry through the pandemic are set to expire. FDA has also issued a guidance for industry intended to help qualified exempt farms subject to the Produce Safety Rule with transitioning away from the temporary allowances.

The Institute of Food Technologists’ Global Food Traceability Center (IFT’s GFTC) has released eleven new commodity-specific educational videos covering key sections of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Food Traceability Final Rule.

Of all the key features of FDA's Traceability Final Rule, the Traceability Lot Code (TLC) stands out for its criticality and understated complexity. This crucial code serves as a breadcrumb trail, highlighting every step a product takes through the supply chain. To meet the TLC requirements, industry actors will need to make significant modifications to current lot coding practices.