William Acevedo, Wendel Rosen: Food companies should be focused on traceability
William Acevedo, partner, Wendel Rosen: In 2022, food companies should be focused on traceability within their supply chains. Businesses would do well to remember that in September 2020, the FDA issued the Food Traceability Proposed Rule. We are currently awaiting the final rule, which when promulgated, will establish various traceability and record-keeping obligations to improve the safety of our food and minimize potential disruptions in the food supply in the event of future public health crises or other national emergencies.
This focus will pave the way for a deeper use of and reliance upon technology and data analytics by food companies. How this is implemented by the government and the food industry, and at what speed, will surely be topics on the minds of companies that manufacture, process, pack or hold foods included on the Food Traceability List.
This initiative is a significant part of the FDA’s New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint and the ongoing implantation of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, and it will require significant outreach to, education of, and planning by the food industry to achieve meaningful adoption on an industry-wide basis. Technology has been steadily making inroads into the food industry for years now, but the final rule will likely accelerate this trend.
