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Digital Traceability Solutions: Technology Options for Rule 204 Compliance

Module 5 of the free Food Safety Academy 2026 webinar series: the technology options for FDA's Food Traceability Rule (FSMA 204), from simple spreadsheets to dedicated software, and how to choose what's right for your operation. This webinar has already aired; watch the full recording on this page.

  • Free Webinar
  • Module 5 of 6
  • Full Recording
  • 49 Minutes

Last updated October 8, 2026

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Module 5 aired September 16, 2026; watch its recording on this page. You'll complete registration for Module 6 on its webinar page.

Watch the Webinar Recording

Recorded live on September 16, 2026 and presented by Harmeet Kaur, Director of Training & Consulting Services at Kiwa ASI. Running time: 49 minutes. Free to watch, no registration needed.

About This Free Webinar

FDA's Food Traceability Rule (FSMA 204) requires detailed traceability records for foods on the Food Traceability List, and FDA won't enforce it before July 20, 2028. This session cut through the technology confusion, from simple spreadsheets to blockchain, to help attendees understand their options and choose what's right for their operation.

Watch the full recording.

Module 5 aired live on September 16, 2026, 12:00–1:00 PM CT. Watch the 49-minute recording at the top of this page. The series continues with Module 6, SQF Edition 10 Final Audit Prep, on December 2, 2026. Register free.

  • Live Online Webinar

    Held September 16, 2026, 12:00–1:00 PM CT.

  • Module 5 of 6

    Food Safety Academy 2026, a free series on SQF Edition 10, supplier management and compliance.

  • Free to Attend

    Every webinar in the series is free.

  • Built for FSMA 204

    For teams choosing how to capture and share traceability records before 2028.

Key Topics Covered

Nine steps from the rule's requirements to a traceability system that works.

  • Rule 204 Requirements Refresher

    Key Data Elements (KDEs), Critical Tracking Events (CTEs) and compliance deadlines.

  • Technology Options Landscape

    Spreadsheets, databases, ERP modules, specialized software, blockchain and emerging solutions.

  • Pros and Cons of Each Approach

    Cost, complexity, scalability and integration considerations.

  • Software Selection Criteria

    What features matter most, and what's just marketing hype.

  • Implementation Strategies

    Phased rollout vs. big bang, pilot testing and change management.

  • Data Capture Methods

    Barcodes, QR codes, RFID, IoT sensors and manual entry.

  • System Integration

    Connecting traceability with inventory, production and shipping systems.

  • Vendor Evaluation

    Questions to ask, demos to request and red flags to watch for.

  • ROI Beyond Compliance

    How traceability improves recall response, reduces waste and enhances supply chain visibility.

What FSMA 204 Requires

The Food Traceability Rule (21 CFR Part 1, Subpart S) sets the records your system has to produce, whatever technology you choose.

Enforcement starts no earlier than July 20, 2028.

The original compliance date was January 20, 2026. Congress has since directed FDA not to enforce the rule before July 20, 2028, and FDA has said it will follow that directive.

  • Scope

    Food Traceability List

    The rule covers listed foods, such as fresh leafy greens, shell eggs, cheeses other than hard cheeses and finfish, and foods that contain them in their listed form.

  • CTEs

    Critical Tracking Events

    Harvesting, cooling, initial packing, first land-based receiving of seafood, shipping, receiving and transformation.

  • KDEs

    Key Data Elements

    The data you record for each CTE, such as the traceability lot code, quantity, product description, locations and dates.

  • Lot codes

    Traceability Lot Codes

    Assigned at initial packing, first land-based receiving or transformation, then passed along the supply chain.

  • 21 CFR 1.1315

    Traceability Plan

    How you keep records, identify listed foods and assign lot codes, plus a point of contact.

  • Records

    24-Hour Response

    Records to FDA within 24 hours of a request; in an outbreak or recall, as an electronic sortable spreadsheet.

Traceability Technology Options

The rule doesn't require any particular technology. Records can be paper or electronic, but when FDA asks for an electronic sortable spreadsheet within 24 hours, your system has to be able to produce one. These are the main options the webinar compared.

  • Entry level

    Spreadsheets

    Quick to start and low cost. Manual entry gets harder to keep accurate as products, lots and trading partners grow.

  • Built in

    Databases and ERP Modules

    Build traceability into the inventory and production systems you may already run, so KDEs are captured as part of normal work.

  • Dedicated

    Specialized Traceability Software

    Purpose-built around CTEs and KDEs, with features such as trading-partner data exchange and report exports.

  • Emerging

    Blockchain and Emerging Tools

    Shared, tamper-evident records across trading partners. Worth evaluating, but not required by the rule.

Data capture methods covered: barcodes, QR codes, RFID, IoT sensors and manual entry.

Who Should Attend?

Anyone responsible for traceability compliance or technology decisions.

  • Supply Chain Managers

    Supply chain

    The people who coordinate traceability data with suppliers and customers.

  • IT Directors

    Technology

    Leaders who choose, integrate and support the systems that hold traceability records.

  • Food Safety Professionals

    Food safety

    The team that owns the traceability plan and FDA's 24-hour records requests.

  • Operations Managers

    Operations

    Managers whose receiving, production and shipping steps generate the KDEs.

  • Traceability Decision-Makers

    Compliance

    Anyone responsible for traceability compliance or technology decisions.

The Food Safety Academy 2026 Webinar Series

Six free, live online webinars on SQF Edition 10, supplier management and compliance. See all free webinars.

Related Training

Live online FDA FSMA courses from Kiwa ASI.

Frequently Asked Questions About Traceability Technology

What did this webinar cover?

The technology options for FSMA 204 compliance: a refresher on KDEs and CTEs, the options from spreadsheets to dedicated software and blockchain, the pros and cons of each, software selection criteria, implementation strategies, data capture methods, system integration, vendor evaluation and the return on traceability beyond compliance.

When was this webinar held?

September 16, 2026, 12:00–1:00 PM CT, live online. It was Module 5 of the free Food Safety Academy 2026 webinar series.

Is there a recording of this webinar?

Yes. Watch the full 49-minute recording at the top of this page. It's free, and no registration is needed.

Who presented this webinar?

Harmeet Kaur, Director of Training & Consulting Services at Kiwa ASI.

Are the Food Safety Academy webinars free?

Yes. Every webinar in the Food Safety Academy 2026 series is free to attend.

When do companies have to comply with FSMA 204?

The original compliance date was January 20, 2026. Congress has since directed FDA not to enforce the Food Traceability Rule before July 20, 2028, and FDA has said it will follow that directive.

Does FSMA 204 require traceability software?

No. The rule doesn't require any particular technology, and records can be paper or electronic. But when FDA is responding to an outbreak, a recall or another threat to public health, most covered entities must provide the requested information as an electronic sortable spreadsheet within 24 hours, so your system has to be able to produce one. See the technology options.

What are CTEs and KDEs?

Critical Tracking Events (CTEs) are the supply-chain events that trigger recordkeeping: harvesting, cooling, initial packing, first land-based receiving of seafood, shipping, receiving and transformation. Key Data Elements (KDEs) are the information you record for each event, such as the traceability lot code, quantity, product description, locations and dates. See what FSMA 204 requires.

What's the next free webinar?

Module 6, SQF Edition 10 Final Audit Prep: What Auditors Will Be Looking For in 2027, on December 2, 2026, 12:00–1:00 PM CT. Register on the Module 6 page.

Is there a full FSMA 204 training course?

Yes. Kiwa ASI teaches the FSPCA Food Traceability Rule participant course live online; the next class is May 10–11, 2027. Email US.Info@kiwa-asi.com or call 1 (800) 477-0778 to ask about private training for your team.

Ready for the next free webinar?

Register free for Module 6, SQF Edition 10 Final Audit Prep, on December 2, 2026, or ask about private FSMA 204 training for your team.

Training & Trust

Training is delivered by ASI Training and Consulting, LLC, separately from our accredited certification body, ASI Food Safety, LLC, to safeguard against conflicts of interest. For private training, email US.Info@kiwa-asi.com.