ReposiTrak Waives Fee to Share Traceability Data

For a limited time, ReposiTrak, a provider of supply chain, food safety and supplier management technology solutions, is waiving the $2,000 setup fee for food suppliers connecting to the ReposiTrak Traceability Network. The focus of a partnership with the National Grocers Association (NGA), the network enables suppliers and their wholesaler and retailer customers to share traceability data that will be required by a new U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rule for high-risk foods, slated to be issued this month.

The partnership brings traceability resources to NGA’s independent grocer and wholesaler members, which account for more than one-third of U.S. grocery retail sales.

“Without the ReposiTrak Traceability Network, the new requirements under the Food Safety Modernization Act Section 204 will become a recordkeeping and data management nightmare for suppliers and their customers,” noted Randy Fields, chairman and CEO of Salt Lake City-based ReposiTrak. “Through automation and our proven supply chain technology, the network simplifies the creation and sharing of the key data element records required by the FDA.”

The process to join the network takes under an hour. Once data exchange begins, suppliers will pay a low flat fee for unlimited records creation and key data element sharing with their in-network trading partners.

“The FDA has made it clear that the current list of foods that will require end-to-end traceability is just the beginning, as they encourage voluntary adoption of traceability practices industry-wide,” added Fields. “The ReposiTrak Traceability Network can support mass-scale traceability records creation and retention, at a cost that is less than most companies spend on EDI. We think of traceability readiness as a brand differentiator, which is a message we will take to retailers via our partnership with NGA.” 

The solution is built on the world’s largest compliance network, and its development was led by the Food Traceability Leadership Consortium, a group of industry trade associations, wholesalers and retailers.

“Today’s food system has become increasingly complex, with many stakeholders spanning global to regional and local levels,” said Laura Strange, SVP of communications and external affairs at Washington, D.C.-based NGA. “At the same time, there is increased public awareness of recalls and expanded government regulations, making it imperative for retailers to be even more focused on product sourcing and food safety standards from farm to fork. The ReposiTrak Traceability Network is an essential solution that will help our members and their trading partners meet the new federal regulations and take advantage of many other benefits they’ll see from knowing exactly where products are at all times.”