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New food traceability rules designed to facilitate quickly identifying and recalling contaminated foods will require a networked supply chain approach for the food industry. (That means deploying a Digital Supply Network – Yes, you’ve heard me talk about that before, several times!)
Section 204(d) of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is commonly referred to as FSMA 204. The food traceability rules require those who manufacture, process, pack or hold foods on the Food Traceability List to keep records and rapidly information about contaminated food sources (critical tracking events) to the FDA. Everyone covered by FSMA 204 must comply with the recordkeeping requirements by Jan. 20, 2026.
Critical tracking events can happen anywhere within your supply chain – whether growing, receiving, transforming, creating or shipping food. You must provide key data about critical tracking events “to the FDA within 24 hours or within some reasonable time to which the FDA has agreed.”
Digital Supply Networks Beat Hubs and Spokes
Traditional food production supply chains have a hub and spoke structure. This design traces foods just a step or two beyond each entity’s doors, or “one-up, one-back” traceability. Digital Supply Networks are an ideal solution to transition away from hub and spoke to a network model. Digital Supply Networks enable end-to-end food traceability across each step, along with the ability to take action. This visibility and actionability will be key for food manufacturers to meet the requirements of FSMA 204.
Beyond the traceability advantages for food safety, Tompkins Ventures has seen Digital Supply Networks reduce cost of goods sold, cash-to-cash cycle, length of time between order and delivery, total delivered cost, and increase gross operating margins across hundreds of suppliers in food, pharmaceutical, high tech and other sectors.
Digital Supply Networks do not happen overnight – they take time, effort, technology and expertise. The clock is ticking for those who produce, store, ship and sell food.
Jim Tompkins, Chairman of Tompkins Ventures, is an international authority on designing and implementing end-to-end supply chains. Over five decades, he has designed countless industrial facilities and supply chain solutions, enhancing the growth of numerous companies. He previously built Tompkins International from a backyard startup into an international consulting and implementation firm. Jim earned his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University.