I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 814 
To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the Federal Meat 
Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspection Act, and the Egg Prod-
ucts Inspection Act to improve the safety of food, meat, and poultry 
products through enhanced traceability, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 3, 2009 
Ms. DEGETTE (for herself, Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. NADLER of New York, and 
Ms. DELAURO) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Energy 
and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speak-
er, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the ju-
risdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the 
Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products In-
spection Act, and the Egg Products Inspection Act to 
improve the safety of food, meat, and poultry products 
through enhanced traceability, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Tracing and Recalling 
Agricultural Contamination Everywhere Act of 2009’’ or 
‘‘TRACE Act of 2009’’. 
SEC. 2. TRACEABILITY OF FOOD. 
The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 
U.S.C. 301 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) in section 301, by inserting at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(oo) The failure to comply with any requirement of 
section 414A (relating to the traceability of food).’’; and 
(2) in chapter IV, by inserting after section 414 
the following: 
‘‘SEC. 414A. TRACEABILITY OF FOOD. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF SYSTEM.—Not later than 
1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, the 
Secretary shall establish a traceability system described in 
subsection (b) for all stages of manufacturing, processing, 
packaging, and distribution of food. 
‘‘(b) DESCRIPTION
OF SYSTEM.—The traceability 
system required by subsection (a) shall require each article 
of food shipped in interstate commerce to be identified in 
a manner that enables the Secretary to retrieve the his-
tory, use, and location of the article through a record-
keeping and audit system or registered identification. 
‘‘(c) RECORDS.— 
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‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may require 
that each person, firm, and corporation required to 
identify an article of food pursuant to subsection (b) 
maintain accurate records, as prescribed by the Sec-
retary, regarding the purchase, sale, and identifica-
tion of the article. 
‘‘(2) ACCESS.—Each person, firm, and corpora-
tion described in paragraph (1) shall, at all reason-
able times, on notice by a duly authorized represent-
ative of the Secretary, allow the representative to ac-
cess to each place of business of the person, firm, or 
corporation to examine and copy the records de-
scribed in paragraph (1). 
‘‘(3) DURATION.—Each person, firm, and cor-
poration described in paragraph (1) shall maintain 
records required to be maintained under this sub-
section for such period of time as the Secretary pre-
scribes. 
‘‘(d) FALSE INFORMATION.—No person, firm, or cor-
poration shall falsify or misrepresent to any other person, 
firm, or corporation, or to the Secretary, any information 
as to any location at which any article of food was held. 
‘‘(e) ALTERATION OR DESTRUCTION OF RECORDS.— 
No person, firm, or corporation shall, without authoriza-
tion from the Secretary, alter, detach, or destroy any 
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records or other means of identification prescribed by the 
Secretary for use in determining the location at which any 
article of food was held.’’. 
SEC. 3. TRACEABILITY OF LIVESTOCK. 
Title I of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 
601 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘SEC. 26. TRACEABILITY OF LIVESTOCK, MEAT, AND MEAT 
PRODUCTS. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITION OF TRACEABILITY.—In this sec-
tion, the term ‘traceability’ means the ability to retrieve 
the history, use, and location of an article through a rec-
ordkeeping and audit system or registered identification. 
‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Cattle, sheep, swine, goats, 
and horses, mules, and other equines presented for 
slaughter for human food purposes, and the car-
casses or parts of carcasses and the meat and meat 
food products of those animals, shipped in interstate 
commerce shall be identified in a manner that en-
ables the Secretary to trace— 
‘‘(A) each animal to any premises or other 
location at which the animal was held at any 
time before slaughter; and 
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‘‘(B) each carcass or part of a carcass and 
meat and meat food product of such animals 
forward from slaughter through processing and 
distribution to the ultimate consumer. 
‘‘(2) TRACEABILITY SYSTEM.—Not later than 1 
year after the date of the enactment of this section, 
the Secretary shall establish a traceability system for 
all stages of production, processing, and distribution 
of meat and meat food products that are produced 
through the slaughter of animals described in para-
graph (1). 
‘‘(c) PROHIBITION OR RESTRICTION ON ENTRY.— 
The Secretary may prohibit or restrict entry into any 
slaughtering establishment inspected under this Act of any 
cattle, sheep, swine, goats, or horses, mules, or other 
equines not identified as prescribed by the Secretary under 
subsection (b). 
‘‘(d) RECORDS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may require 
that each person, firm, and corporation required to 
identify livestock pursuant to subsection (b) main-
tain accurate records, as prescribed by the Sec-
retary, regarding the purchase, sale, and identifica-
tion of the livestock. 
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‘‘(2) ACCESS.—Each person, firm, and corpora-
tion described in paragraph (1) shall, at all reason-
able times, on notice by a duly authorized represent-
ative of the Secretary, allow the representative to ac-
cess to each place of business of the person, firm, or 
corporation to examine and copy the records de-
scribed in paragraph (1). 
‘‘(3) DURATION.—Each person, firm, and cor-
poration described in paragraph (1) shall maintain 
records required to be maintained under this sub-
section for such period of time as the Secretary pre-
scribes. 
‘‘(e) FALSE INFORMATION.—No person, firm, or cor-
poration shall falsify or misrepresent to any other person, 
firm, or corporation, or to the Secretary, any information 
as to any premises at which any cattle, sheep, swine, 
goats, horses, mules, or other equines, or carcasses there-
of, were held. 
‘‘(f) ALTERATION OR DESTRUCTION OF RECORDS.— 
No person, firm, or corporation shall, without authoriza-
tion from the Secretary, alter, detach, or destroy any 
records or other means of identification prescribed by the 
Secretary for use in determining the premises at which 
were held any cattle, sheep, swine, goats, horses, mules, 
or other equines, or the carcasses thereof. 
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‘‘(g) RELATION TO COUNTRY OF ORIGIN LABEL-
ING.—Nothing contained in this section prevents or inter-
feres with implementation of the country of origin labeling 
requirements of subtitle D of the Agricultural Marketing 
Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1638 et seq.).’’. 
SEC. 4. TRACEABILITY OF POULTRY. 
The Poultry Products Inspection Act is amended by 
inserting after section 23 (21 U.S.C. 467e) the following: 
‘‘SEC. 23A. TRACEABILITY OF POULTRY AND POULTRY 
PRODUCTS. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITION OF TRACEABILITY.—In this sec-
tion, the term ‘traceability’ means the ability to retrieve 
the history, use, and location of an article through a rec-
ordkeeping and audit system or registered identification. 
‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Poultry presented for 
slaughter for human food purposes and poultry 
products shipped in interstate commerce shall be 
identified in a manner that enables the Secretary to 
trace— 
‘‘(A) each animal to any premises or other 
location at which the animal was held at any 
time before slaughter; and 
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‘‘(B) each poultry product forward from 
slaughter through processing and distribution 
to the ultimate consumer. 
‘‘(2) TRACEABILITY SYSTEM.—Not later than 1 
year after the date of the enactment of this section, 
the Secretary shall establish a traceability system for 
all stages of production, processing, and distribution 
of poultry and poultry food products that are pro-
duced through the slaughter of animals described in 
paragraph (1). 
‘‘(c) PROHIBITION OR RESTRICTION ON ENTRY.— 
The Secretary may prohibit or restrict entry into any 
slaughtering establishment inspected under this Act of any 
poultry not identified as prescribed by the Secretary. 
‘‘(d) RECORDS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may require 
that each person, firm, and corporation required to 
identify poultry pursuant to subsection (b) maintain 
accurate records, as prescribed by the Secretary, re-
garding the purchase, sale, and identification of the 
poultry. 
‘‘(2) ACCESS.—Each person, firm, and corpora-
tion described in paragraph (1) shall, at all reason-
able times, on notice by a duly authorized represent-
ative of the Secretary, allow the representative to ac-
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cess to each place of business of the person, firm, or 
corporation to examine and copy the records de-
scribed in paragraph (1). 
‘‘(3) DURATION.—Each person, firm, and cor-
poration described in paragraph (1) shall maintain 
records required to be maintained under this sub-
section for such period of time as the Secretary pre-
scribes. 
‘‘(e) FALSE INFORMATION.—No person, firm, or cor-
poration shall falsify or misrepresent to any other person, 
firm, or corporation, or to the Secretary, any information 
as to any premises at which any poultry, or carcasses 
thereof, were held. 
‘‘(f) ALTERATION OR DESTRUCTION OF RECORDS.— 
No person, firm, or corporation shall, without authoriza-
tion from the Secretary, alter, detach, or destroy any 
records or other means of identification prescribed by the 
Secretary for use in determining the premises at which 
were held any poultry or the carcasses thereof. 
‘‘(g) RELATION TO COUNTRY OF ORIGIN LABEL-
ING.—Nothing contained in this section prevents or inter-
feres with implementation of the country of origin labeling 
requirements of subtitle D of the Agricultural Marketing 
Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1638 et seq.).’’. 
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SEC. 5. TRACEABILITY OF EGG PRODUCTS. 
The Egg Products Inspection Act is amended by in-
serting after section 18 (21 U.S.C. 1047) the following: 
‘‘SEC. 18A. TRACEABILITY OF EGGS AND EGG PRODUCTS. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF SYSTEM.—Not later than 
1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, the 
Secretary shall establish a traceability system described in 
subsection (b) for all stages of manufacturing, processing, 
packaging, and distribution of eggs and egg products. 
‘‘(b) DESCRIPTION
OF SYSTEM.—The traceability 
system required by subsection (a) shall require each egg 
or egg product shipped in interstate commerce to be iden-
tified in a manner that enables the Secretary to retrieve 
the history, use, and location of the egg or egg product 
through a recordkeeping and audit system or registered 
identification. 
‘‘(c) RECORDS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may require 
that each person, firm, and corporation required to 
identify eggs or egg products pursuant to subsection 
(b) maintain accurate records, as prescribed by the 
Secretary, regarding the purchase, sale, and identi-
fication of the eggs or egg products. 
‘‘(2) ACCESS.—Each person, firm, and corpora-
tion described in paragraph (1) shall, at all reason-
able times, on notice by a duly authorized represent-
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ative of the Secretary, allow the representative to ac-
cess to each place of business of the person, firm, or 
corporation to examine and copy the records de-
scribed in paragraph (1). 
‘‘(3) DURATION.—Each person, firm, and cor-
poration described in paragraph (1) shall maintain 
records required to be maintained under this sub-
section for such period of time as the Secretary pre-
scribes. 
‘‘(d) FALSE INFORMATION.—No person, firm, or cor-
poration shall falsify or misrepresent to any other person, 
firm, or corporation, or to the Secretary, any information 
as to any location at which any eggs or egg products were 
held. 
‘‘(e) ALTERATION OR DESTRUCTION OF RECORDS.— 
No person, firm, or corporation shall, without authoriza-
tion from the Secretary, alter, detach, or destroy any 
records or other means of identification prescribed by the 
Secretary for use in determining the locations at which 
were held any eggs or egg products.’’. 
Æ 
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