FSMA 204 Compliance: Soapbox Offers Traceability

January 31, 2025

The FSMA 204 Compliance Challenge

FSMA 204 is reshaping the food industry’s approach to traceability. Tracking high-risk foods on the Food Traceability List (FTL) from raw materials to consumer delivery requires precision and accuracy at every stage. This can be a complex task without the right tools. But with Soapbox, compliance doesn’t have to be a hassle; it’s an opportunity to improve efficiency and build trust with your customers.

Here’s how we do that:

  • Real-Time Data Visibility: Have access to instant insights into inventory, shipments, and data across your supply chain.
  • Automated Recordkeeping: Soapbox automatically captures and stores your records, ensuring accuracy and audit readiness.
  • Easy Integration: Our platform integrates with your existing systems, creating a unified solution for compliance and efficiency.

Real-World Example: Root-to-Retail Traceability

Imagine a fresh produce distributor managing thousands of shipments across multiple suppliers. If a recall is issued for a particular batch of lettuce due to contamination, identifying exactly which shipments are affected—and where they’ve gone—can be a logistical nightmare.

How Soapbox Solves It

With Soapbox, the distributor can track every product from the farm to the consumer. Here’s how:

Lot Code Assignment

  • When produce is first onboarding to a manufacturing facility or warehouse, it is assigned a unique lot code.
  • This lot code is to be logged in Soapbox along with key details like the farm of origin, harvest date, and initial quality checks.

Expiration Date Integration

  • The system can be used to log expiration dates based on the product type, storage conditions, and supplier guidelines.
  • This expiration date is linked to the lot code in Soapbox, ensuring that every unit of produce has a clearly defined shelf life.
  • With retail grocers needing a certain amount of expiration date left on products, you can filter what can be sent to them, without taking on costly return costs.

Tracking Through the Supply Chain

  • As the produce moves through distribution centers and warehouses, Soapbox updates its status in real time.
  • Each transfer, manufacturing/repackaging event, or location change is recorded, maintaining an unbroken chain of custody.

Immediate Action in Case of Recalls

  • If a safety concern arises, Soapbox allows instant identification of affected products.
  • As per FSMA 204, distributors are able to provide the FDA with detailed information about associated product lots that have potential to be contaminated.
  • Instead of mass recalls, only the specific 'at-risk products' need to be pulled, saving time and reducing waste.

The Result: Faster, Smarter, and Safer Decisions

By using lot codes linked to expiration dates, distributors can ensure compliance with FSMA 204 while also minimizing losses. They gain the ability to react immediately to recalls, improve inventory turnover, and deliver safer products to consumers—all through a single, integrated platform.

Next Steps

Soapbox makes FSMA 204 compliance straightforward. Request a demo with one of our specialists today, and we’ll explain how we make compliance simple and efficient.

For more info on FSMA 204, visit the FDA’s page here.