On May 27, 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a discussion paper to encourage more detailed stakeholder engagement on potential flexibilities related to the lot-level tracking requirements under the final Food Traceability Rule, “Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods.” The paper outlines key topics and questions intended to guide discussions ahead of the FDA-led virtual public meeting on June 15, where participants are encouraged to provide input. As a reminder, registration is required to attend the upcoming FDA’s virtual public meeting on June 15, 2026, and those wishing to speak during this meeting must register by June 5.  

The discussion paper entitled “Identifying Additional Flexibilities for Satisfying the FTR’s Lot-Level Tracking Requirement” can be found here. FDA encourages those attending and speaking at the public meeting to consider the topics in this discussion paper. Written comments on the FDA public meeting or discussion paper must be submitted by July 15, 2026, through Docket No. FDA-2014-N-0053 on Regulations.gov. A public notice regarding this comment opportunity will be published in the Federal Register on May 28, 2026, and will be made available here. 

Lastly, Western Growers submitted comments on the FDA’s traceability rule draft guidance due May 21, 2026. The final comments can be found here. Western Growers is also actively engaging in the development of pilots to support supply chain readiness and coordination across the supply chain. For more information on upcoming pilots and other opportunities to engage, click here. 

To access FDA’s Constituent Update, click here.