Where the facts come from
Everything the report states comes from primary regulatory text and official FDA pages. Each source below carries the date we last checked it.
All checked July 12, 2026
Primary regulation
- 21 CFR Part 1, Subpart S (Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods), via the eCFR:
ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-1/subpart-S - 21 CFR 1.1305 (exemptions), 1.1315 (traceability plan), 1.1320 (lot codes), 1.1325 / 1.1330 / 1.1335 / 1.1340 / 1.1345 / 1.1350 (Critical Tracking Event data elements), and 1.1455 (records to FDA), via the Cornell Legal Information Institute mirror:
law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/21/1.1305and the sibling section URLs.
FDA guidance and lists
- FDA, FSMA Final Rule on Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods:
fda.gov/food/food-safety-modernization-act-fsma/fsma-final-rule-requirements-additional-traceability-records-certain-foods - FDA, Food Traceability List:
fda.gov/food/food-safety-modernization-act-fsma/food-traceability-list - FDA, Frequently Asked Questions: FSMA Food Traceability Rule:
fda.gov/food/food-safety-modernization-act-fsma/frequently-asked-questions-fsma-food-traceability-rule - FDA, Critical Tracking Events and Key Data Elements reference (linked from the final-rule page).
The compliance-date extension
- Federal Register, document 2025-14967 (Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods: Compliance Date Extension), published August 7, 2025:
federalregister.gov/documents/2025/08/07/2025-14967 - FDA HFP Constituent Update, FDA Proposes to Extend Compliance Date for Food Traceability Rule:
fda.gov/food/hfp-constituent-updates/fda-proposes-extend-compliance-date-food-traceability-rule-and-issues-new-faqs-and-other-resources - The July 20, 2028 non-enforcement floor also rests on a directive to FDA in the FY2026 continuing appropriations and extensions act that it not enforce the Food Traceability Rule before that date.
A note on access
The fda.gov, ecfr.gov, and federalregister.gov sites block automated fetching, so the regulatory text above was verified through the Cornell LII mirror of the identical CFR sections and cross-checked against FDA and Federal Register search results. We re-verify against fda.gov directly before each relaunch.
Facts that can change
We re-verify the enforcement date and whether the extension rule has been finalized every quarter and on any FDA constituent update, the Food Traceability List every 6 months, and the exemption dollar thresholds annually. The check date is stamped on every page and in the report.