Home » News » NGA and ReposiTrak will help grocers comply with new FSMA rulesThe Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) will impose additional technical, financial and operational burdens on food retailers when Section 204 of the law is published, pursuant to a court order, this November.To address this and other compliance issues, the National Grocers Association (NGA), the trade association representing the independent grocery industry, has entered into a multi-year agreement with ReposiTrak to be the NGA's partner in supplier traceability and compliance, as a step forward to provide guidance, education and support to the community of independent wholesale and retail grocers.Due to the new rules, retailers, wholesalers and their business partners will have to keep records of every movement of various categories of fresh produce from the point of origin to the point of sale to the consumer.This will have the impact of changing the way every grocery store and distribution center in the country records the delivery of shipments.“Food safety is of the utmost importance to independent supermarkets and their supplier partners,” said Greg Ferrara, president and CEO of the NGA."The NGA's partnership with ReposiTrak is the latest in a series of ongoing initiatives to enhance value for our members, by sharing best practice in an area that is crucial to safeguarding the hard-earned trust that retailers and manufacturers have with the consumers".Related Article: NGA and BRdata offer data analysis to independent grocersAs part of this partnership, ReposiTrak will be the exclusive vendor traceability and compliance provider in the NGA partner program.The organization will host thought leadership content online and share it through various platforms, including the website, newsletters and emails, as well as a series of webinars.In addition, ReposiTrak will participate in NGA events and will offer a special rate for its services to NGA member companies."The NGA's strategic partnership and support of the ReposiTrak Traceability Network is the first step towards industry-wide adoption of our easy and affordable solution that will improve food safety, enable faster and more accurate recalls, and even it will lead the way to reduced food waste and greater transparency for consumers,” said ReposiTrak President and CEO Randy Fields.“Through our more than two decades of work in the grocery supply chain, we have come to understand that traceability will be inherently good for the industry.”The FDA indicated that the initial list of 16 categories and thousands of products covered by Section 204 is the starting point for further improving the safety of the food supply chain.It will take time to adopt new technology and change processes to fully implement end-to-end traceability;As members prepare for the change, the NGA will provide resources, the organization said in a statement.NGA members interested in the ReposiTrak program should contact Derek Hannum ([email protected]) or Jonathan Downey ([email protected]).