ReposiTrak Creates 1st No-Scan KDE Record for FSMA Compliance

Grocers can exchange food product data in any format and retrieve that information at any time, from anywhere

8/23/2023

ReposiTrak's first no-scan receiving and shipping KDE records were assembled successfully, a milestone in food traceability.

ReposiTrak, a provider of supply chain, food safety and supplier management technology solutions, has created the world’s first no-scan key data element (KDE) record and the exchange of food traceability data between a supplier and a distribution center. According to the company, the breakthrough revolutionizes the advancement toward tech-enabled food traceability as defined by the FDA’s FSMA Section 204(d) regulation.

“This is a major milestone for the industry and proves that FSMA 204 compliance is in fact achievable,” said Randy Fields, CEO and chairman of Salt Lake City-based ReposiTrak. “It wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work and collaboration between our development and implementation teams, and the retailers and suppliers who saw the opportunity to move fast toward FSMA 204 compliance.”

[Read more: “ReposiTrak Creates New Recall Management Solution”]

The automated traceability landmark is the first time that KDE information was successfully passed from a supplier to a distribution center without the need for additional scanning steps, hardware or software – a key point of difference for the ReposiTrak Traceability Network, according to the company. Other traceability solutions depend on physical labeling or RFID tags to transfer information as a product moves through the supply chain.

Built upon the company’s supply chain collaboration platform, the ReposiTrak Traceability Network enables the seamless exchange of even fragmented KDE information for any food product, including those on FDA’s Food Traceability List (FTL). Once enrolled in ReposiTrak, food supply chain companies, from suppliers and processors to wholesalers, grocers and restaurants, can exchange KDE data in any format and also retrieve that information at any time, from anywhere, by way of a dashboard. The solution also enables these food traceability records to be exported in a sortable spreadsheet – a requirement of FDA’s FSMA 204 regulation.

FSMA 204 requires companies that manufacture, process, pack or hold foods on the FTL to establish and maintain KDE records for specific critical tracking events (CTEs) in a product’s journey through the supply chain. As that product changes hands or changes form, a compounding string of data must be transferred between trading partners to provide full end-to-end traceability.

More than 8% of retail grocery stores, 1,100-plus suppliers and more than 20 distribution centers have already joined the ReposiTrak Traceability Network.