January 2026 may sound a long way off, but for players in the food supply chain, it likely seems just around the corner—particularly if they don’t yet have robust food-tracking systems in place.
That’s because as of Jan. 20, 2026, food producers, restaurants, and retailers—basically anyone that manufactures, processes, packs, or holds foods that are considered high-risk, including fresh fruits and vegetables, soft cheeses, and ready-to-eat salads—must comply with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) new food traceability requirements. Those requirements, known as FSMA 204 (which stands for section 204 of the Food Safety Modernization Act), are designed to mitigate public health and safety risks and ensure businesses can quickly identify contaminated foods in the event of a recall. Although the regulations took effect in 2023, the FDA set a three-year grace period for adopting new processes, with enforcement slated to begin in January 2026.
That’s a lot to take in, but there are resources out there that can help. For instance, Mojix, a Florida firm that provides real-time, item-level visibility tools, recently released a guide to help businesses prepare for the new requirements. The downloadable publication, FSMA 204 Compliance Road Map: A Guide for Food Producers and Retailers, contains an overview of the rule, walks readers through the specific requirements, and explains how to achieve compliance with the new recordkeeping mandates, the company says. The publication can be downloaded for free at www.mojix.com/download_fsma204/.
Gartner, Inc.