It’s the Competition — Not the Regulation — Forcing Retailers to Take on Traceability

SALT LAKE CITY & AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ReposiTrak, the world’s largest food traceability network, and Upshop, the technology leader in store operations for food retail, have launched a comprehensive, source-to-store traceability solution for retail grocers to meet the requirements of the FDA’s FSMA 204 food traceability final rule and remain competitive.

“The nation’s largest retailers have announced traceability programs that require more traceability data per shipment for more foods than the FDA, and their timelines are much shorter than the FDA,” explained ReposiTrak Chairman and CEO Randy Fields. “At this point, it’s these retailers, not the FDA, who are setting the bar for the industry.”

Major retailers including Kroger, Albertsons’ and Walmart have announced food traceability programs with more robust requirements than the FDA. While FSMA 204 requires traceability for certain foods included on the Food Traceability List (FTL), retailers have publicly communicated traceability requirements including:

• Additional traceability data elements that need to be transmitted electronically for every shipment
• Traceability for ALL FOODS, instead of only for foods listed on the FTL
• Accelerated timelines, with several major retailers requiring suppliers to meet their unique requirements by June 30, 2025, a full 7 months earlier than the FDA’s enforcement deadline of January 20, 2026.

“Traceability is here, and although we’re just 365 days from the FDA’s enforcement deadline, it’s the industry that’s setting the timeline now,” said Upshop Chief Innovation and Strategy Officer Mark Hawthorne. “Our partnership with ReposiTrak enables the fast, easy transmission of food traceability data from the supply chain to the store. To the consumer, this will translate as a commitment to food safety and transparency in the supply chain.”

The recently announced partnership between ReposiTrak and Upshop creates a critical connection between suppliers and the retail store that:

• Leverages ReposiTrak’s network of thousands of suppliers and their traceability shipment data, and Upshop’s network of more than 450 retailers and their retail stores
• Enables a comprehensive program for creating and storing complete traceability records that meets the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act Section 204d (FSMA 204) requirements
• Unlocks margin and growth opportunities in stores by connecting supply chain data with store data to optimize inventory, labor and customer experience management automation

For more information, retailers are invited to attend a FREE upcoming webinar:

ASK US ANYTHING | TRACEABILITY: How Retailers Can Solve Source-to-Store Traceability for FSMA 204

Wednesday, February 12, 2025
2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Eastern

Join Upshop Vice President of Customer Success Lauren Kennedy and ReposiTrak Chief Customer Officer Derek Hannum as they address your questions about simplifying compliance and getting ready for FSMA 204.

Register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2760259515033038936?source=PR

About Upshop

Upshop is the foremost provider of a SaaS platform designed to streamline forecasting, ordering, production, and inventory optimization processes for food retailers. Its unified platform simplifies and enhances associate tasks, promoting smarter and more interconnected operations across Fresh, Center, DSD, and eCommerce departments. With over 450+ retailers and 50,000+ stores relying on its mission-critical operations platform globally, customers have witnessed substantial enhancements in sales, shrinkage reduction, food safety, and sustainability throughout their stores.

To learn more about the Total Store Operations Experience, visit https://upshop.com/, and watch customer testimonials at Upshop Total Store Operations Experience - YouTube

About ReposiTrak

ReposiTrak (NYSE: TRAK) provides retailers, suppliers and wholesalers with a robust solution suite consisting of three product families: food traceability, compliance and risk management and supply chain solutions. ReposiTrak’s integrated, cloud-based applications are supported by an unparalleled team of experts. For more information, please visit repositrak.com.