FDA FSMA 204 and what this means for you
The FDA has established additional traceability record keeping requirements. The rule, “Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods” (Food Traceability Proposed Rule) is a key component of the FDA’s New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint and would implement Section 204(d) of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). At the core of this proposal is a requirement for those who manufacture, process, pack or hold foods on the Food Traceability List (FTL) to establish and maintain records containing Key Data Elements (KDEs) associated with different Critical Tracking Events (CTEs). Source:FDA
The list of food categories ranges from seafoods to fresh produce, and the FTL categories are certain cheeses, shell eggs, nut butter, finfish, crustaceans, mollusks, ready-to-eat deli salads including a list of fresh produce such as cucumbers, herbs, leafy greens, melons, peppers, sprouts, tomatoes, tropical tree fruits. This list is likely to be expanded in future.