Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Section 204(d)
The Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA), signed into law in 2011, is a comprehensive, far-reaching food safety law that impacts virtually segment of the food supply chain, including distribution. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the federal regulatory agency that administers and enforces the FSMA.
Section 204(d) of FSMA requires that farmers, manufacturers, food processors, distributors, retailers and restaurants track certain foods as the products move through the food supply chain. The covered foods are considered high-risk for contamination or food-borne illness outbreaks. The data about these subject foods that is required to be tracked includes the manufacturing source of the food, a lot code issued by the manufacturer for each batch of the product produced, a description of the food product including the quantity and the weight, the destination of the food product, receiving and shipping dates, and the temperature of perishable or frozen foods. The original implementation date of FSMA Section 204(d) was January 20, 2026, but the FDA issued an announcement in March 2025 that it intends to extend the implementation date by 30 months.