Name: FSMA 204: How to Achieve Traceability and Transparency Along Your Supply Chain
Start: 2025-04-15T14:00:00-04:00
End: 2026-04-15T00:00:00-04:00

FSMA 204: How to Achieve Traceability and Transparency Along Your Supply Chain

4/15/25 2:00 pm to 4/15/26 EDT

Contact: Vania Halabou

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) Food Traceability Rule is outlined in section 204(d) of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). In preparing to meet the requirements of FSMA 204, many food companies that process or handle foods covered by the Rule have undertaken significant journeys to enable better food traceability and transparency along their supply chains. In this webinar, representatives from the fresh produce and foodservice distribution sectors, as well as a traceability-focused industry organization, will explain what companies should be doing now to meet traceability requirements. Executives from Fresh Del Monte and Sysco will also share details on how their organizations have achieved FSMA 204 readiness with advanced traceability systems.

From this webinar, attendees will learn:

How your company should be preparing for compliance with FSMA 204
How the Food Traceability Rule can help optimize your company's supply chain and operations
How two world-class companies have achieved FSMA 204 readiness with advanced traceability systems
How compliance with FSMA 204 will benefit public health and food safety

Speakers:

Joe Buckley, M.B.A., Director, Food Safety and Quality Assurance, Sysco Corporation. Joe Buckley, M.B.A. is Director for Food Safety and Quality Assurance at Sysco Corporation. He and his team oversee the execution of food safety and regulatory requirements across Sysco's U.S. broadline operating sites. Joe has spent 17 years in foodservice distribution, both in warehouse operations and in food safety/quality assurance, and he is heavily involved with the FSMA 204 project team at Sysco. Joe is HACCP certified and a Preventative Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI). He holds a B.A. degree in English and an M.B.A. degree in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Sara Bratager, Food Traceability and Food Safety Scientist, IFT's Global Food Traceability Center (GFTC). Sara Bratager is a Food Traceability and Food Safety Scientist at the Global Food Traceability Center (GFTC) at the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). She enjoys applying years of traceability and food safety management experience in manufacturing toward the GFTC's efforts to engage food system stakeholders in their traceability journey through applied research, capacity building, advocacy, system design, and implementation. Ms. Bratager and the GFTC team continue to support industry actors in their FSMA 204 compliance journey.

Takashi Nakamura, Ph.D., M.B.A., Vice President, Corporate R&D and Food Safety, Del Monte Fresh Produce Company. Takashi Nakamura, Ph.D., M.B.A. has served as Vice President of Food Safety for Fresh Del Monte since 2019. Previously, he worked in various senior research and development roles at Bumble Bee Foods and Bacardi, was the Vice President of Global Product Formulation and Worldwide Research and Development/Scientific Affairs at Herbalife, and was the Category Technical Leader for Portable Wholesome Snacking and Frozen Breakfast at Kellogg's. Dr. Nakamura serves on the Center for Produce Safety (CPS) Technical Committee and the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) Food Safety Committee, and has represented Fresh Del Monte with the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA). He is also an active member of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP). He received a Ph.D. in Engineering from Purdue University and an M.B.A. degree from the University of North Florida.

Moderator: Adrienne Blume, Editorial Director, Food Safety Magazine

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