FDA officially extends FSMA 204 deadline by 30 months

The Food and Drug Administration officially announced a 30-month delay in the deadline for food manufacturers, processors and packers to meet additional traceability requirements.

The extended deadline for Section 204(d) of the Food Safety Modernization Act (commonly known as FSMA 204) was first made public in March. An Aug. 6 news release formally announced the extension of the original January 2026 deadline, as well as the launch of new tools and a Frequently Asked Questions section available on the agency’s Food Traceability Rule website.

“The FDA is aware that even among those few entities who are well positioned to meet the final rule’s requirements by January 2026, there are challenges to meeting this timeline, in part because of their reliance on receiving accurate data from their supply chain partners, who might not be similarly situated,” the FDA statement read in part. “Therefore, the FDA’s proposed extension allows industry additional time, across all regulated sectors, to fully implement the final rule’s requirements.”

FSMA 204 requires records containing Key Data Elements (KDEs) associated with Critical Tracking Events (CTEs) to be maintained and quickly providable to the FDA by those who manufacture, process, pack or hold foods included on the Food Traceability List (FTL).  The goal of the rule is faster identification and removal of potentially contaminated food from the market.