Food Safety (FSMA) Requirements and Compliance at Walmart

Peter Spaulding

By Peter Spaulding, Sr. Content Writer

Last Updated October 21, 2025

11 min read

In this article, learn about: 

  • What is the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)? 

  • The Critical Tracking Events (CTEs) that the Food Traceability Rule Covers 

  • Walmart’s FSMA Food Traceability Requirements 

  • Food Traceability standards in Retail Link apps 

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) has already been revolutionizing the way suppliers and retailers communicate about food items. FSMA is designed to make food traceability more visible to all parties involved in the supply chain, to consumers, and to the federal government.  

Most major retailers have been proactive about building out these new regulations as compliance programs for their suppliers, with Walmart leading the way. In this article, we’ll be unpacking what FSMA means for Walmart suppliers in particular, how it is likely to affect suppliers, and what steps they can take now to get ahead of these changes. 

What is the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)? 

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) has been around in one respect or another for almost fifteen years, having officially signed into law in 2011. There was a delay in the enforcement of actual compliance protocols until years later. This act has had a huge impact on food suppliers in the retail industry.  

Section 204: The Food Traceability Rule 

In January 2023, Section 204 of FSMA, the Food Traceability Rule, officially went into effect, but compliance for it was not supposed to go into effect until January 2026. In the summer of 2025, the FDA announced its intention to extend this deadline by 30 months to July 2028.  

Section 204 was designed to give trading partners and the FDA greater visibility into supply chains. If, for example, something needs to be recalled for safety reasons, then Section 204 should give all parties involved the ability to track down each contaminated or dangerous food item.  

As these programs have developed, major retailers like Walmart have had to change the way they track supplier compliance to include traceability. Walmart already has multiple, sophisticated compliance programs in place, and traceability will be added as a sub-category to the Supplier Quality Excellence Program (SQEP).  

Learn More: Retail Link Apps for SQEP 

The Food Traceability Rule (FTR) requires all manufacturers, processers, packers, and food holders (i.e., refrigeration) on the Food Traceability List (FTL) to “maintain records containing Key Data Elements (KDEs) associated with specific Critical Tracking Events (CTEs); and provide information to the FDA within 24 hours or within some reasonable time to which the FDA has agreed” (FSMA Final Rule on Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods). 

Understanding if your products are on the Food Traceability List is step one to becoming FSMA compliant as a supplier. Checking your products against the list is essential. This is a broad list of the major food categories included in it: 

  • Cheeses 

  • Shell eggs 

  • Nut butters 

  • Cucumbers 

  • Herbs 

  • Leafy greens 

  • Melons 

  • Peppers 

  • Sprouts 

  • Tomatoes 

  • Tropical tree nuts 

  • Fruits 

  • Vegetables 

  • Fin fish 

  • Crustaceans 

  • Molluscan shellfish and bivalves 

  • Ready-to-eat deli salads 

This is not a complete list, and not all of the foods on the FTL have the same requirements. See, in the section below, how sprouts especially are treated differently from other fresh foods.  

What are Some of the Critical Tracking Events (CTEs) that the Food Traceability Rule Covers? 

FSMA asks entities and persons who oversee and monitor the transportation of goods in the food industry to provide KDEs for the following crucial points of the supply chain: 

  • Harvesting 

  • Cooling 

  • Initial Packing (RAC) 

  • First Land-Based Receiver 

  • Shipping 

  • Receiving 

  • Transformation 

  • Traceability Plan 

The following table shows some of the most crucial KDEs for each of these essential CTEs. For a comprehensive list that includes more food-type-specific details, see the FDA’s Food Traceability Rule: Tracking Events and Key Data Elements resource. 

Critical Tracking Event (CTE) 

Important Key Data Elements (KDEs) 

Harvesting 

  • Location description 

  • Commodity (and variety, if applicable) 

  • Quantity and unit of measure 

  • Date of harvesting 

  • Reference document type and number 

Cooling 

  • Location description for the immediate subsequent recipient (not a transporter) 

  • Commodity (and variety, if applicable) 

  • Quantity and unit of measure 

  • Date of cooling 

  • Location description from the harvester 

  • Reference document type and number 

Initial Packing (RAC) 

NOTE: This is applicable to Raw Agricultural Commodities (RACs). These are foods that belong to a category in the FDA of foods that have been relatively unprocessed. 

 

  • Commodity (and variety, if applicable) 

  • Date food is received 

  • Quantity and unit of measure 

  • Location description of the farm where food was harvested 

  • Business name and phone number for harvester 

  • Date of harvesting 

  • Location description of where the food was cooled (if applicable) 

  • Date of cooling (if applicable) 

  • Traceability lot code 

  • Product description of the packed food 

  • Product description of the packed food 

  • Location description of where the food is initially packed 

  • Date of initial packing 

  • Reference document type and number 

 

NOTE: Produce, Aquacultured Food, Sprouts, and food received from exempt persons have their own special requirements as well. 

First Land-Based Receiver 

NOTE: These are foods obtained from a fishing vessel. 

 

  • Traceability lot code 

  • Species and/or acceptable market name for unpackaged food 

  • Quantity and unit of measure  

  • Harvest date range and locations 

  • Location description for the first land-based receiver 

  • Date the food landed 

  • Reference document type and number 

Shipping 

  • Traceability lot code 

  • Quantity and unit of measure 

  • Product description for the food 

  • Location description of the shipment source and for the immediate subsequent recipient of the food 

  • Date shipped 

  • Location description for the traceability lot code source 

  • Reference document type and number (maintain only) 

Receiving 

  • Traceability lot code 

  • Quantity and unit of measure 

  • Product description 

  • Location description for where the food was received and the immediate previous source other than a transporter 

  • Date food is received 

  • Location description for the traceability lot code source  

  • Reference document type and number 

 

NOTE: There are slightly different receiving KDEs for working with people who are exempt from the rule. This section also does not apply to RACs or foods that have not already been initially packaged. 

Transformation 

NOTE: The KDEs for this section differ significantly depending on whether the food transformation results in “new foods produced” or “FTL foods used as ingredients.” 

 

  • New or old traceability lot code for the food (depending on “new food” or not) 

  • Location description for where the food was transformed (if applicable) 

  • Date transformation was completed (if applicable) 

  • Product description for the food 

  • Quantity and unit of measure for the food 

  • Reference document type and number 

Traceability Plan 

  • Description of the procedures used to maintain required records, including formats and the location of records 

  • Description of the procedures used to identify foods on the FTL  

  • The point of contact for questions regarding the traceability plan and records 

  • For growers or raisers of food on the FTL (other than eggs), a farm map is required; this differs depending on agriculture/aquaculture 

 

NOTE: Traceability plans must be up-to-date with current practices to ensure compliance; previous traceability plans must be retained for two years after an update. 

  

Additionally, all records must be accessible and maintained such that they will not deteriorate or be damaged. Persons under FSMA requirements must be able to provide information to the FDA within 24 hours of a request, when necessary to assist during an “outbreak, recall, or other threat to public health.” 

Walmart’s FSMA Food Traceability Requirements 

Walmart summarizes their FSMA requirements by breaking them down into these four main categories:  

  • Item Attribute: Suppliers have to self-declare if their items are on the FTL by editing their items in Supplier One (see How to Self-Declare... section below). 

  • ASN: All ASNs (EDI 856s) must incorporate the FSMA 204 KDEs. 

  • Packaging: Suppliers need to update their SSCC-18 pallet and GS1-128 case barcode labelling to match the new requirements. See Appendix H of the Supply Chain Guide (2025) for more specifics. 

  • Compliance: Although these requirements apply to all Walmart suppliers, monitoring and enforcement will start with products on the FTL. 

Walmart has also curated a number of resources for its suppliers to help them understand their responsibilities in the coming years as Section 204 gets rolled out. Namely, they developed a landing page to work as “a living resource for understanding how to comply with requirements.” 

On this landing page is a link to WM’s Food Traceability KDE (Key Data Element) Requirements. This list includes, but is not limited to: 

  • EDI ASNs 

  • PO Numbers 

  • SSCC – 18s 

  • BOLs 

  • Ship Date 

  • Ship From Location 

  • Ship To Location 

  • GTIN 

  • Product Description 

  • Lot/Batch Number 

  • Traceability Lot Code Source  

  • Country of Origin 

  • Pallet Quantity 

  • Case Quantity 

  • Weight 

  • Dates for Production, Harvest, Best Before, Sell By, and Expiration 

All food suppliers for Walmart have to use ASNs that contains the KDEs for “all shipments or deliveries of food to Walmart.” These shipments’ pallets must contain SSCC-18 barcodes tying the pallet to the ASN. Cases for food must have a GS1-128 barcode.  

Even though the FDA will postpone compliance for the Food Traceability Rule to July 20, 2028, they strongly encourage suppliers to take all measures to comply with FTR now. Walmart has already begun tracking FTR compliance for its suppliers in Supplier One. 

Walmart’s 2025 Supplier Requirements for FSMA 

Walmart has added a new attribute for their item catalog called “FSMA Section 204 Traceability.” This helps suppliers and Walmart stay aligned about which items are on the Food Traceability List (FTL), tracking that information on the item level.  

How to Self-Declare FSMA Section 204 Traceability in Supplier One 

Start by finding your items in Supplier One. From there, you can click the ellipses under the Actions column and select Product & Offer Overview. From there, you should click Edit in the top right corner of the Product content to improve search & browse on Walmart website section. 

There should be a dropdown menu titled FSMA Section 204 Traceability with two options: 

  • In Scope 

  • Not in Scope 

If the item contains a food on the FTL, then suppliers should generally select “In Scope.” If the food item is “Exempt Due to Kill Step,” suppliers should still select “In Scope.” For all items that are not on the FTL, suppliers should select “Not in Scope.” 

NOTE: Not all of these requirements apply to suppliers shipping D94 Produce. Most of those suppliers will have a separate process for self-declaring traceability. 

Food Traceability Dashboard in the Advance Ship Notice App 

As of October 2025, suppliers at Walmart only have visibility into their Food Traceability performance in the Advance Ship Notice App in Retail Link, but this visibility is likely to be mirrored in Supplier One in the near future.  

To view the Food Traceability Dashboard, log in to Retail Link, go to Apps, select the Advance Ship Notice app, and select Food Traceability Dashboard on the left nav:  

Retail Link > Apps > Advance Ship Notice > Food Traceability Dashboard 

The Food Traceability Dashboard is broken down into three main sections: 

  • Time period performance (contrasted with the previous period) 

  • Charts 

  • Data 

The time period performance section is broken down into three sections:  

  • Purchase orders 

  • ASNs 

  • ASNs with all KDEs 

Walmart's Food Traceability Dashboard 1.png

In the charts section, there are three main options for understanding performance data: 

  • Metric Trend Chart 

  • Exception Distribution Chart 

  • Ship Point Distribution 

The third section breaks down violation data by the individual violation. It contains many columns that can be helpful for sorting.  

Violation Data Columns in the Food Traceability Dashboard 

Supplier Information: 

  • Supplier Name 

  • Supplier 9 Digit 

  • Supplier 6 Digit 

Purchase Order (PO) Details: 

  • PO Number 

  • DC Number (Distribution Center Number) 

  • Item Number 

  • Line Number 

  • OMS PO Number (Order Management System PO Number) 

  • Dept Number 

  • Dept Category 

  • Dept Category Group 

  • Dept Sub Category 

ASN (Advance Shipping Notice) Details: 

  • ASN Document ID 

  • ASN Document Date 

  • ASN Type 

Logistics/Tracking/Container IDs: 

  • SSCC 18 Pallet Number (Serial Shipping Container Code for Pallet) 

  • SSCC 18 Pack Number (Serial Shipping Container Code for Package) 

  • Receiving Method 

Quantity Details: 

  • PO Quantity 

  • ASN Quantity 

  • Received Quantity 

Product/Lot/Date Details (Traceability): 

  • Lot Number 

  • Production Date 

  • MABD Date (Must Arrive By Date) 

  • Expiration Date 

  • Lot Number Expiration Date 

  • Collection Date 

  • Pack Date 

Source/Origin Location (TLC - Trading Location Code): 

  • TLC Source GLN (Global Location Number) 

  • TLC Source Name 

  • TLC Source Address 

  • TLC Source City Name 

  • TLC Source State Code 

  • TLC Source Country Code 

  • TLC Source Postal Code 

  • TLC Source URL 

  • Telephone Number 

  • Contact Email 

  • Origin Loc Number 

  • Origin Address 

  • Origin City 

  • Origin State 

  • Origin Postal Code 

  • Origin Country 

Destination Location: 

  • Dest GLN Number 

  • Dest Address 

  • Dest City 

  • Dest State 

  • Dest Postal Code 

Merchant/Vendor ID: 

  • Merchant ID 

These reports can be downloaded in CSV or PDF format by clicking the Download button in the top right corner of the dashboard.  

FSMA Compliance in the SQEP Dashboard 

Although Walmart has not started giving compliance fines (AR chargebacks) for FSMA compliance, its presence in the SQEP dashboard shows that Walmart will likely start issuing fines for a lack of FSMA compliance as a part of the SQEP program. The September 2025 update to Walmart’s Supply Chain Guide that includes FSMA regulations further implies a connection between SQEP’s fining structure and the new federal regulations.  

This inclusion of FSMA as a subcategory in the SQEP Dashboard is helpful for suppliers to try to get ahead of these new updates before the legal compliance goes into effect in 2028. 

To navigate to the FSMA Dashboard start by logging into Retail Link, then go to Apps, click on SQEP Dashboard, and then select FSMA Compliance in the left nav.  

Retail Link > Apps > SQEP Dashboard > FSMA Compliance 

Like other SQEP defects, FSMA compliance is being measured in Defects Per Million (DPM), and it is being inspected selectively.  

The FSMA Compliance dashboard is broken down into four main sections:  

  • FSMA Compliance 

  • Treemap 

  • Trend Chart 

  • Performance by DC 

These sections are still in a beta phase, and they will be updated continuously in the months to come, unless development of FSMA as a subset of SQEP compliance gets delayed as a result of the FDA’s delay of their own compliance date.  

How Walmart Suppliers Can Prepare for the Future 

As of now, the only requirement that Walmart is actively pushing suppliers towards is getting the KDEs set up in their supply chain and communicating those in their ASNs via EDI.  

Suppliers should also look to track their progress in the ASN and SQEP Dashboards to proactively prepare for when charges for FSMA compliance begin.  

Track AR Chargebacks with SPS Commerce 

SPS Commerce allows suppliers to see all of their AR chargebacks in the same place in our SQEP solution. Our tools help suppliers do root cause analysis by looking at supplier data across Walmart’s compliance programs.  

Get a free analysis to see if SPS Commerce's compliance solution is right for you! 

Related Content