In December 2023, Albertsons’ announced its traceability program, requiring additional traceability recordkeeping for ALL FOODS entering its facilities to “in anticipation of the FTL evolving to include new items and to ensure ongoing compliance.”

Other industry giants – including Walmart – have also made the decision to require traceability for all foods, extending beyond the requirements of the FDA’s FSMA 204 food traceability law. ReposiTrak can help you to take your traceability data to any of your retail, wholesale or restaurant customers to meet their unique requirements.

The goal of traceability, according to the FDA, is the “faster identification and rapid removal of potentially contaminated food from the market, resulting in fewer foodborne illnesses and/or death.” As a result, every food supplier, retailer, wholesaler and restaurant in the country is now part of the largest data collaboration project in the history.

If you’d like to talk to an expert at ReposiTrak about traceability for your company, please fill out the form below.

Traceability starts with the supplier

Traceability is the process of using data to permanently document a product’s path through the supply chain from its point of origin, through every stage of production and distribution, and ultimately to the place where it’s sold to the end consumer.

If your customer requires traceability, you – the supplier – are required to DO traceability now. Failing to comply (or simply under-complying) with the traceability requirements of your customers could jeopardize the relationships you’ve built with them. Additionally, you could be hurting your chances of building new relationships with other major retailers or wholesalers – like Target or Sysco – that you’d hoped to have in the future.

What are Albertsons’ requirements for suppliers?

Within their memo titled “Implementation of the FDA Final Food Traceability Rule,” Albertsons explained that there are no exemptions to their traceability requirements. All suppliers of food and non-alcoholic beverages are expected to comply, including:

  • Suppliers who ship to our distribution centers;
  • OWN Brands suppliers, including suppliers of ingredients to our manufacturing facilities;
  • DSD suppliers (which includes cross docking deliveries); and
  • Suppliers who ship/deliver to our retail central kitchens and satellite stores.

Albertsons requires the following to be transmitted for every shipment via Electronic Data Interchange (EDI):

  • An Advanced Ship Notice (ASN) including all mandatory Key Data Elements (KDEs) for each relevant shipping Critical Tracking Events (CTEs), using an EDI 856 ASN (for shipments to manufacturing locations and distribution centers) or an EDI 856 or 857 ASN (for DSD).
  • Pallet labels must include a GS1 US Serial Shipping Container Code (SSCC) that is linked to the ASN.
  • Case labels must include a GS1-128 barcode with a Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) and the following GS1 Application Identifiers: 10- Batch or Lot Number, 13- Pack Date and 17- Expiration Date (Optional).
  • Reference Document Type, including Bills of Lading (Preferred Document to Contain KDE’s), Shipping Manifests, Packing Lists or Store Invoices (For Direct to Store Deliveries).

Suppliers must meet Albertsons’ requirements by June 30, 2025.

Fast, easy traceability data sharing with Albertsons’ and other customers is possible.

Getting traceability-ready NOW through the ReposiTrak Traceability Network is fast, easy and inexpensive. Thousands of suppliers, retailers and wholesalers are already in the process of connecting to the ReposiTrak Traceability Network to share any and all traceability data and meet the unique requirements of their trading partners.

Are your customers asking for traceability?

Watch the video to learn more: