Food Traceability Enhancement Act

Bill: 118-hr-7563
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Franklin, Scott [R-FL-18]
Introduced: 2024-03-06
Policy area: Health
Latest action: action_date: 2024-03-08
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Summaries:
action_date: 2024-03-06
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Food Traceability Enhancement Act</strong></p><p>This bill modifies requirements relating to recordkeeping and traceability of foods that may cause outbreaks of foodborne illnesses.</p><p>Specifically, the bill reduces the maximum time for which food manufacturers or processors must retain records of high-risk foods (i.e., those that are prone to causing outbreaks of foodborne illnesses) from two years to one year. It also specifies that recordkeeping requirements for high-risk foods may not require restaurants, retail food establishments, or related warehouses to keep or share information about traceability lot codes.</p><p>The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must conduct pilot projects with members of the retail food industry to evaluate the effectiveness of investigations of outbreaks of foodborne illnesses without using traceability lot codes, as well as the feasibility of using low-cost food tracing technologies. The bill also specifies that the FDA's rule titled <em>Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods</em>, which was published on November 21, 2022, may not be implemented until two years after the pilot projects are completed (the rule establishes the recordkeeping requirements for manufacturers or processors of high-risk foods, which include keeping and sharing traceability lot codes).</p><p>The FDA must also report on any barriers that prevent the FDA from sharing information with the retail food industry about investigations into outbreaks of foodborne illnesses.</p>

tv_txt: I 118th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 7563 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 6, 2024 Mr. Scott Franklin of Florida (for himself, Mr. Bishop of Georgia , and Mr. Panetta ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To strengthen compliance with the FDA Food Traceability Rule, to enhance the FDA foodborne illness outbreak investigation process, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Food Traceability Enhancement Act . 2. Easing recordkeeping and traceability lot code requirements Section 204(d) of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act ( 21 U.S.C. 2223(d) ) is amended— (1) in paragraph (5), by striking not more than 2 years and inserting not more than 1 year ; and (2) in paragraph (6), by adding at the end the following: (J) Traceability lot codes at retail food establishments, restaurants, and warehouses (i) In general The requirements under this subsection shall not require restaurants, retail food establishments, and warehouses to maintain traceability lot code information or provide traceability lot code information to the Secretary or other entities in the supply chain. (ii) Warehouse defined In this subparagraph, the term warehouse means any facility primarily engaged in the storage of food to be shipped to retail food establishments or restaurants. . 3. Pilot projects on food tracing (a) In general Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this section referred to as the Secretary ) shall conduct at least 9 pilot projects, in coordination with food industry members operating restaurants, retail food establishments, and warehouses distributing to retail food establishments and restaurants, to— (1) measure the effectiveness of foodborne illness outbreak investigations conducted without the use of traceability lot code information; and (2) identify and evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of low-cost food tracing technologies. (b) Diversity In conducting the pilot projects required by subsection (a), the Secretary shall— (1) conduct— (A) at least 3 pilot projects in coordination with restaurants; (B) at least 3 pilot projects in coordination with retail food establishments; and (C) at least 3 pilot projects in coordination with warehouses distributing to retail food establishments and restaurants; and (2) ensure that each pilot project uses at least 1 commodity— (A) included in the Food Traceability List published by the Food and Drug Administration on November 21, 2022 (87 Fed. Reg. 70916); and (B) not used in another such pilot project. (c) Report Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the findings of the pilot projects required by subsection (a), including— (1) recommendations to minimize disruptions across the food supply chain; (2) recommendations to ensure product availability and diversity are not negatively impacted; (3) recommendations to reduce the compliance burden for small businesses covered by the final rule titled Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods , published on November 21, 2022 (87 Fed. Reg. 70910); (4) a list of low-cost food tracing technologies that are commercially available and an evaluation of the effectiveness of each technology; and (5) a list of all revisions that, as a result of such pilot projects, will be made to such final rule. 4. Compliance date of final rule on food traceability The compliance date for the final rule titled Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods , published on November 21, 2022 (87 Fed. Reg. 70910), or any other rule promulgated in accordance with section 204 of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act ( 21 U.S.C. 2223 ), shall be no earlier than the date that is 2 years after the date on which the pilot projects required by section 3(a) are completed. 5. Report on barriers to information sharing between FDA and food establishments Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall submit to Congress a report, which shall include a list of all barriers, legal or otherwise, that prevent the Food and Drug Administration from sharing with retail food establishments and restaurants pertinent information regarding foodborne illness outbreak investigations, including— (1) information surrounding early warning signals of foodborne illnesses; (2) reported consumer illnesses; and (3) suspected transmission vehicles of a foodborne illness.