The federal rule designed to let investigators trace contaminated produce back to a specific farm within 24 hours will not be enforced until the summer of 2028, and the decision did not originate at the Food and Drug Administration. It came from Congress.
The FDA now states plainly that an appropriations act directed it not to enforce the Food Traceability Rule before July 20, 2028, and that the agency intends to comply with that congressional directive. The rule's original compliance date was January 20, 2026, a deadline that has already passed without taking effect.
