Proposed Rule Extending Compliance Date
FDA Proposed Rule to Extend the Compliance Date of FSMA Section 204(d)
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a proposed rule that would extend the compliance date of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Section 204(d) from January 20, 2026 to July 20, 2028.
According to the FDA, businesses from across the food supply chain, including distributors, need more time to come into compliance because required key data elements are not routinely maintained or shared between businesses, the large volume of data required to be captured and managed would be very challenging, and new technology would need to be acquired.
On August 18, 2025, CDA submitted comments to the FDA in support of the agency’s proposed rule that would extend the compliance date for FSMA Section 204(d) regulation by 30 months from January 20, 2026 to July 20, 2028.
In its comment letter, CDA informed the agency that the association’s distributor members were surveyed in March of this year about their knowledge of, and readiness to comply with, FSMA Section 204(d). The responses received from distributor members echoed what the FDA has learned, namely, that industry segments need more time to learn about the food traceability requirements, acquire and utilize the necessary scanning and tracking software to trace food products, and train employees on how to use the new technology to capture and manage food tracing data.
Read the CDA comment letter here.