The FDA has launched a challenge to spur the development of affordable, tech-enabled traceability tools for human and animal foods. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration launched a challenge to push the development of affordable, tech-enabled traceability tools to help protect people and animals from contaminated foods by enabling the rapid identification of their sources and helping remove them from the marketplace.

The FDA has extended the comment period for the proposed rule entitled “Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods” and reopened the comment period for the information collection provisions until Feb. 22, 2021. 

Even in the U.S. an exhaustive track and trace system, which is available to all participants—including small producers and farms—and additional members in the supply chain, right up to the consumer, has been elusive. The FDA, in its recent proposed rule, "Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods," is a good starting point in defining what kind of data needs to be kept and where new data should originate, but it doesn't get to specifics in implementation.

Kezzler, a global provider of supply chain traceability and serialization technology, has signed a master service agreement (MSA) with Bayer to provide track and trace capabilities for seed origins. Bayer—a life sciences company with more than 150 years experience in healthcare and agriculture—and Kezzler have had an existing working relationship for the last four years.

The Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) Leadership Council recently met to refuel industry discussions due to recent events having put a new spotlight on traceability, including recent foodborne illness outbreak investigations, release in Canada of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations and projects exploring the benefits of Blockchain for the food supply chain.

The new interactive program currently covers all San Diego-based Chicken of the Sea shelf-stable tuna products and will soon to the company’s entire shelf-stable product line.