--- title: FSMA204Hub field notes description: Field notes on FSMA 204, retailer audits, and traceability. canonical: https://fsma204hub.com/blog last-updated: 2026-09-12 --- # FSMA204Hub field notes > FSMA 204 explained, Key Data Elements, lot coding, retailer supplier > requirements, and worked traceback examples. Append `.md` to any post URL > for its markdown twin. 21 published posts, newest first. - [What actually happens during a Costco food safety audit](https://fsma204hub.com/blog/costco-food-safety-audit): A Costco food safety audit runs 1-2 days, is capped at $2,300 a day, and ends on a 14-day corrective action clock. What happens, from Costco's V3.0 documents. (2026-09-09, markdown: https://fsma204hub.com/blog/costco-food-safety-audit.md) - [Wegmans EDI 856 ASN: the small supplier's setup guide](https://fsma204hub.com/blog/wegmans-edi-856-asn-requirements): The Wegmans EDI 856 ASN decoded for a producer who has never done EDI: which transaction sets each flow path needs, what the ASN must carry, the certification sequence, and the manual alternative. (2026-09-02, markdown: https://fsma204hub.com/blog/wegmans-edi-856-asn-requirements.md) - [Costco Addendum requirements: the 2-hour traceability test](https://fsma204hub.com/blog/costco-addendum-traceability-requirements): Costco Addendum V3.0 scores traceability in two clauses worth 10 of 65 points. The 2-hour limit, 100% accountability, and the auditor-initiated trace. (2026-09-09, markdown: https://fsma204hub.com/blog/costco-addendum-traceability-requirements.md) - [The supplier letter of guarantee: the 1938 document your audit folder is missing](https://fsma204hub.com/blog/supplier-letter-of-guarantee): What a continuing letter of guarantee actually is, the legal defense it comes from, what it does not prove, and how to build the one-PDF-per-supplier folder that passes a Whole Foods or ReposiTrak document check. (2026-08-19, markdown: https://fsma204hub.com/blog/supplier-letter-of-guarantee.md) - [Every major grocer's traceability deadline has already passed. FDA's is 2028.](https://fsma204hub.com/blog/retailer-fsma-204-deadlines): Walmart, Kroger, and Wegmans all set supplier traceability deadlines that expired in 2025. Aldi, H-E-B, Meijer, and Publix have earlier-than-FDA dates too. A reference table of who requires what, and the one spec that satisfies all of them. (2026-08-11, markdown: https://fsma204hub.com/blog/retailer-fsma-204-deadlines.md) - [Walmart supplier traceability requirements: the KDE nobody can produce, and the freight rejection waiting for it](https://fsma204hub.com/blog/walmart-supplier-traceability-requirements): Walmart's food traceability requirements took effect August 1, 2025, cover all food products, and carry freight rejection and fines. The three KDEs Walmart names, the SSCC-18 and GS1-128 label rules, and why the third KDE is the one small producers fail. (2026-08-05, markdown: https://fsma204hub.com/blog/walmart-supplier-traceability-requirements.md) - [Kroger supplier traceability requirements: why "it's not on the FTL" doesn't work here](https://fsma204hub.com/blog/kroger-supplier-traceability-requirements): Kroger's traceability program covers all food products, not just the Food Traceability List, and its supplier deadline passed in June 2025. The four asks decoded, the exact data Kroger wants per shipment, and what it means for a small producer. (2026-07-30, markdown: https://fsma204hub.com/blog/kroger-supplier-traceability-requirements.md) - [Cyclospora, iceberg lettuce, and the traceback the lab test couldn't do: an FSMA 204 teardown for leafy-greens producers](https://fsma204hub.com/blog/cyclospora-iceberg-lettuce-fsma-204-traceback): FDA traced the 2026 Cyclospora iceberg lettuce outbreak to one supplier using distribution records and patient interviews, after the lab sample came back a false positive. Here is that same traceback run on a fictional small leafy-greens grower, exactly where it breaks, and how to fix it before a buyer asks. (2026-07-28, markdown: https://fsma204hub.com/blog/cyclospora-iceberg-lettuce-fsma-204-traceback.md) - [The FSMA 204 KDE checklist: what to capture at receiving, transformation, and shipping](https://fsma204hub.com/blog/fsma-204-kde-checklist): Every Key Data Element FSMA 204 requires at each Critical Tracking Event, straight from 21 CFR 1.1340, 1.1345, and 1.1350, translated into the columns a small producer actually keeps. (2026-07-21, markdown: https://fsma204hub.com/blog/fsma-204-kde-checklist.md) - [The 24-hour traceback drill: an hour-by-hour FSMA 204 mock recall for a small producer](https://fsma204hub.com/blog/mock-24-hour-traceback): A clock-running, hour-by-hour FSMA 204 mock recall for a small food producer. One fictional creamery lot, an FDA 24-hour traceback request, exactly where the trail breaks, and how to run the traceback exercise yourself. (2026-07-14, markdown: https://fsma204hub.com/blog/mock-24-hour-traceback.md) - [Wegmans supplier traceability requirements: the four asks, decoded](https://fsma204hub.com/blog/wegmans-supplier-traceability-requirements): Wegmans supplier traceability requirements run ahead of FSMA 204 and are live now. The four concrete asks (EDI 856 ASN, SSCC, GS1-128, FTL self-ID), decoded for a small producer. (2026-09-02, markdown: https://fsma204hub.com/blog/wegmans-supplier-traceability-requirements.md) - [Does FSMA 204 require GS1? GTINs, barcodes, and what small producers actually need](https://fsma204hub.com/blog/does-fsma-204-require-gs1): FSMA 204 does not require GS1, GTINs, or barcodes. FDA's rule is technology-agnostic. Here is what the rule actually mandates, why everyone assumes GS1, and when a small producer genuinely needs it. (2026-06-30, markdown: https://fsma204hub.com/blog/does-fsma-204-require-gs1.md) - [FDA's June 15 lot-level traceability meeting: the pain points the industry raised](https://fsma204hub.com/blog/fda-june-2026-lot-level-traceability-meeting): FDA held its June 15 lot-level traceability meeting and published the discussion paper behind it. Here are the real pain points the industry flagged, and why almost none of them are about you if you are a small producer. (2026-06-23, markdown: https://fsma204hub.com/blog/fda-june-2026-lot-level-traceability-meeting.md) - [How to assign a Traceability Lot Code: chevre, almond butter, and fresh-cut greens (worked examples)](https://fsma204hub.com/blog/how-to-assign-a-traceability-lot-code): Three worked examples of how to assign a Traceability Lot Code under FSMA 204, with the exact lot code format, when you assign it, and where it has to travel. (2026-06-16, markdown: https://fsma204hub.com/blog/how-to-assign-a-traceability-lot-code.md) - [Costco supplier traceability requirements (2026 edition)](https://fsma204hub.com/blog/costco-supplier-traceability-requirements): Costco supplier traceability requirements sit above FSMA 204 and are enforced now. The program layers, where small producers fail, and an audit prep plan. (2026-09-09, markdown: https://fsma204hub.com/blog/costco-supplier-traceability-requirements.md) - [TLC vs. KDE vs. CTE: the three FSMA 204 concepts producers keep mixing up](https://fsma204hub.com/blog/tlc-vs-kde-vs-cte): TLC vs KDE vs CTE under FSMA 204, explained in plain English. What each term means, where it lives in your operation, and a worked chevre example. (2026-06-12, markdown: https://fsma204hub.com/blog/tlc-vs-kde-vs-cte.md) - [ReposiTrak supplier onboarding: a 7-day playbook](https://fsma204hub.com/blog/repositrak-supplier-onboarding-playbook): A small producer's survival guide to ReposiTrak. What it checks, what to answer fast, the four traps that cost a week, and a day-by-day plan. (2026-06-12, markdown: https://fsma204hub.com/blog/repositrak-supplier-onboarding-playbook.md) - [How to pass a Whole Foods supplier audit](https://fsma204hub.com/blog/how-to-pass-a-whole-foods-supplier-audit): Whole Foods stacks four audits, not one. What each one checks, where small producers usually fail, and a 2-week prep plan to pass cleanly. (2026-06-12, markdown: https://fsma204hub.com/blog/how-to-pass-a-whole-foods-supplier-audit.md) - [FSMA 204 vs HARPC: the difference for small producers](https://fsma204hub.com/blog/fsma-204-vs-harpc): HARPC prevents contamination before it ships. FSMA 204 traces it after. Here's how to tell them apart and what records each one demands. (2026-06-12, markdown: https://fsma204hub.com/blog/fsma-204-vs-harpc.md) - [What is a lot code on food? The FSMA 204 TLC, explained](https://fsma204hub.com/blog/what-is-a-traceability-lot-code): What a lot code on food actually is, how lot coding works, and how an everyday lot code differs from the FSMA 204 Traceability Lot Code (TLC). (2026-06-16, markdown: https://fsma204hub.com/blog/what-is-a-traceability-lot-code.md) - [What your retailer's FSMA 204 questionnaire is asking for](https://fsma204hub.com/blog/retailer-fsma-204-questionnaire): A plain-English breakdown of the data retailers want under FSMA 204: what to send, what to skip, and the three fields that decide your shelf space. (2026-06-12, markdown: https://fsma204hub.com/blog/retailer-fsma-204-questionnaire.md) ## Related - [Section index](https://fsma204hub.com/blog/llms.txt) - [Full site index](https://fsma204hub.com/llms.txt) - [RSS](https://fsma204hub.com/feed.xml)