KINGSTON, R.I. – April 8, 2025 – The University of Rhode Island’s Cooperative Extension is hosting this year’s 31st annual Rhode Island Food Safety Task Force Conference on Thursday, April 24. The conference, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel in Warwick, will provide attendees with information on the Food Safety Modernization Act’s Food Traceability Rule and how it applies to food businesses and operations. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety Modernization Act requires the Food and Drug Administration to designate high-risk foods for which additional recordkeeping requirements are needed to protect public health. The component Food Traceability Rule aims to monitor and regulate foods which can pose a public health threat if contaminated and distributed, spreading items no one wants to see on the menu: E. coli, Norovirus, Salmonella or more.

URI’s food safety specialist Nicole Richard says the Food Traceability Rule protects food safety and protects public health; URI Cooperative Extension can help business owners adhere to the rules in place to protect consumers. 

“Having this list and the traceability rules in place increases response in the event of an outbreak,” Richard says, “reducing illness by decreasing response time. Traceability recordkeeping requirements in regulations apply to anyone who manufactures, processes, packs, or holds foods on the Food Traceability List. The final rule requires a higher degree of coordination between members of the food industry than has been required in the past. Entities must be in compliance: we’re here to help them do that, for public health.”

The Food Traceability List calls for recordkeeping for several foods, whether sold individually or as an ingredient, which rank high for risk of foodborne illness in case of contamination:

The full list, with details on specific food categories and distinctions, can be found on FDA.gov. 

Rhode Island’s food safety specialist

The conference is led by Richard, a food safety researcher with URI Cooperative Extension. Richard has more than 20 years of experience developing food safety resources and programming for businesses and consumers through the University’s Food Safety Research and Education Program. She is a frequently-requested expert on issues of sushi safety, home food safety, and other dining matters. 

As chair of the Rhode Island Food Safety Task Force, Richard will be joined at the conference by speakers from the Rhode Island Department of Health and FMI-the Food Industry Association, discussing food safety progress, Rhode Island programs and projects centered on food protection, national food code updates, how to comply with the food traceability rule, and recordkeeping requirements.

Advance registration for the conference is required. The cost to attend is $10 (non-refundable; free for students). All are welcome.

To learn more about the URI Food Safety Education program, or get on the email list for future events, contact Nicole Richard at URI at nicolerichard@uri.edu or visit www.uri.edu/CoopExt.