Traceability solutions provider iFoodDS has announced the launch of a consulting arm, New Era Partners, to advise companies on how to achieve operational compliance with the FSMA 204 mandate.

The FDA's recently released FSMA 204 Food Traceability Rule establishes new traceability recordkeeping requirements for companies that manufacture, process, pack, or hold certain foods on the Food Traceability List, according to a news release. .

From left, Andrew Kennedy and Matt Regusci will co-head New Era Partners.
(Photos courtesy of iFoodDS)

Andrew Kennedy, a former FDA traceability expert who helped develop FSMA 204, and Matt Regusci, co-founder of Azzule/PrimusGFS, will co-head New Era Partners, according to the statement.

“FSMA 204 is complex, especially for grocery stores, food service operators and processors,” Kennedy, senior advisor for traceability at New Era Partners, said in the statement. “With our deep knowledge of the rule and the supply chain, New Era Partners can quickly help companies understand the impact of the rule on their operations and objectively identify paths to compliance. Forward-thinking companies that start planning now will protect their brand and gain a competitive advantage.”

Available services include:

• Executive briefings for business operations, IT, and legal executives on the rule and its effects.
• Supply Chain Traceability X-Ray – Analysis of a company's current compliance status and visualization of gaps in its supply chain, enabling accurate assessment of risk and scope of compliance effort.

Kennedy, former co-director of the Food and Drug Administration's New Era of Smart Food Safety, will lead the advisory services.

Prior to FDA, Kennedy served as acting director of IFT's Global Center for Food Traceability and co-founded FoodLogiQ. He co-led the development of numerous food traceability standards and best practices, according to the statement.

Regusci, an entrepreneur in the testing, inspection and compliance (TIC) market, will lead compliance services, according to the statement.

Over the past decade, Regusci co-founded Azzule/Primus GFS, co-owner of WQS and co-founder of TrainToComply.

“The industry is making progress on the promise of traceability, but organizations across the supply chain need guidance on how FSMA 204 impacts their unique operations and how they can leverage traceability to improve their business practices,” said Robert Whitaker, founder of Whitaker Consulting. at launch.

“The experience of Andrew Kennedy and Matt Regusci is unmatched in the industry and will be invaluable to companies that need a strategy to comply with the FSMA 204 mandate and move their businesses forward,” he said in the statement.