Each year, 48 million Americans get ill from food poisoning, and it can take months to identify the cause. To tackle this, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is introducing a long-awaited Food Traceability Final Rule for manufacturers to allow faster identification of contaminated food.
The FDA’s final rule on Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods—otherwise known as the Food Traceability Final Rule—takes effect in January 2026 and will allow for faster identification and rapid removal of potentially contaminated food from the market, resulting in fewer foodborne illnesses and/or deaths. As well as addressing the widespread issue of food poisoning in America, the new rule will also compel food manufacturers to improve their end-to-end quality management practices.