FDA meeting seeks to gather input on exemptions from Food Traceability Rule

The FDA has scheduled a public meeting to discuss new draft guidance to reduce responsibilities for certain food entities related to the Food Traceability Rule.

The Rule was scheduled to go into effect this year, but Congress pushed that deadline back to 2028. The development and implementation of the Rule was mandated by the Food Safety Modernization Act, which was signed into law on Jan. 4, 2011. The Act mandated that the Rule require record keeping to help with investigations of foodborne illness outbreaks.

The Food and Drug Administration plans to issue guidance to industry that certain restaurants and other “small” food entities with $250,000 to $1 million in annual revenue be exempt from the Rule’s requirements. The public meeting will provide people the opportunity to comment on the proposed guidance.

The public meeting is free and open to the public, but registration is necessary to attend.