June 26, 2024 commemorates 50 years since the monumental debut of the first Universal Product Code (UPC) barcode scan. While the UPC has endured for 50 years, new two-dimensional (2D) barcodes, such as QR codes powered by GS1, are emerging on product packaging with a range of benefits.

FDA’s Final Food Traceability Rule is driving necessary changes to the U.S.’s currently limited traceability system. Industry must continue to build upon the progress it has already made to move the nation toward a harmonized, interoperable traceability system.

A coalition of key food industry stakeholder groups and consumer protection organizations has written a letter urging Congress to reject two bills that would undermine the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) FSMA 204, also known as the Food Traceability Final Rule.

A recent evaluation of the UK post-harvest seafood supply chain has pinpointed factors that leave the nation’s seafood supply vulnerable to food fraud, with third-party certification identified as the most important factor associated with a company’s level of defense against food crime.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a proposed exemption for certain cottage cheese products from the requirements of the Food Traceability Final Rule, fulfilling Subpart 204 of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA 204). 

The European Commission is taking strides to improve honey authenticity, including setting new origin labeling requirements, and the development of harmonized traceability requirements and improved methods of composition analysis and origin tracing. The Commission is assembling a group of experts called the “Honey Platform” to advise this work and is accepting applications.

LSG Sky Chefs has selected Trustwell to develop its traceability recordkeeping system, which will bring the company into compliance with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Food Safety Modernization Act, Subpart 204 (FSMA 204).

Major U.S. Midwestern grocery distributor Certco Inc. is joining the ReposiTrak Traceability Network® to automate supplier traceability and ensure compliance with Subpart 204 of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA 204).

Wiliot has launched a partnership with iFoodDS and Trustwell to incorporate Wiliot’s ambient Internet of Things (IoT) data and technology into the two companies’ food safety compliance software solutions, enabling both companies to add real-time, automatically captured, item-level traceability data to their platforms. 

The Food Traceability Enhancement Act, recently introduced to U.S. Congress, aims to “strengthen compliance” with FSMA 204/the Food Traceability Final Rule through several key changes to its implementation.