Add a GS1-128 barcode and the AI rows 01, 10 and a date.
COMPLIANCE / FSMA 204 / GS1-128
FSMA 204 Traceability Lot Code Labels, Printed From Your Packing Data
Print FSMA 204 traceability lot codes on case labels: a GS1-128 barcode with GTIN, lot and pack date plus the text, from Excel, CSV or your database.
FREE PLAN · NO CREDIT CARD · WINDOWS / MAC / LINUX / WEB
THE CODES ON THIS PAGE ARE REAL
Encoded by LabelInn's print path
Decoded back with ZXing
Exact bytes, right symbology
Sample products, fictional makers
The FDA Food Traceability Rule (FSMA section 204) covers foods on the Food Traceability List: leafy greens, fresh herbs, tomatoes, peppers, soft cheeses, shell eggs, finfish, crustaceans and others. Firms that grow, pack, transform, ship or receive them keep key data elements for each critical tracking event, linked by a traceability lot code, and give FDA an electronic sortable spreadsheet within 24 hours when asked (FDA: Food Traceability Final Rule).
The compliance date was 20 January 2026. Congress then directed FDA not to enforce the rule before 20 July 2028. The time is there to get the lot code onto every case reliably, before trading partners start asking for it.
FROM YOUR LOT DATA TO THE CASE
One lot code, on every case.
The lot code comes from your packing data. LabelInn prints it as text and as a code and records every case label.
Every value comes from a column of your file, a database query, an API or a counter. The mapping is saved with the design.
Flip through the rows in the preview, then print the range you need.
Who printed, when, on which printer, from which file and rows. Export it when someone asks.
01 / FSMA 204
Where the label comes in
The traceability lot code is assigned when food is initially packed or transformed, and it has to travel with the food: each shipment passes it, with its source, to the next firm. The rule does not prescribe a barcode, but the practical way to pass a lot code through a warehouse is to print it on the case, as text and as a code that a receiving scanner reads. Many buyers ask for a GS1-128 case label with the GTIN and the lot.
| AI | Data element | In the sample |
|---|---|---|
| (01) | GTIN of the case | 10614141000415 |
| (10) | Lot, used as the traceability lot code | TLC260915A |
| (13) | Pack date (or 11 production, 15 best before, 17 use by) | 260915 |
02 / TRACEABILITY LOT CODE
Print it from your packing data
Bind the lot code and the date to your packing data: an Excel or CSV export, a database query or an API. The GTIN can be fixed on the design.
Add the text lines for the lot code and the traceability lot code source, bound to the same columns.
Print. Each case label is recorded in the print history: the lot, the time, the printer and who printed it.
03 / GS1-128
The check we ran
We built the sample barcode from the three AI rows through LabelInn's print path, drew it with the app's barcode engine, and decoded it with an independent decoder (ZXing). It returned ]C1, which means GS1-128, and the exact element string, with the separator after the variable-length lot. That proves the encoding. Check a printed label with your own scanner before a season starts.
04 / CASE LABELS
Where it stops
- LabelInn prints the code and records the labels. It does not keep your key data elements for harvest, cooling, receiving or shipping, write your traceability plan, or build the 24-hour spreadsheet. The print history export gives you which lot codes were printed, when and where, as one input to it.
- No GTINs. They come from GS1.
- Not legal advice. You remain responsible for meeting the rule.
05 / FSMA 204
Which plan
Binding Excel, CSV and database columns and the full print history are in Starter ($7.99/mo). The audit log with every printed value exportable as CSV is in Enterprise. Signing up starts a 14-day trial with everything on.
ANY PRINTER
Design it, bind your data, print on the printer you already own.
Zebra, TSC, Toshiba, Epson and more — over USB, network or Bluetooth, with no driver to install.
PRICING
Start free. Pay when it earns its keep.
QUESTIONS / FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does FSMA 204 require a barcode on the case?
No. The rule requires records linked by a traceability lot code and that the code travels with the food. A case label with the lot code as text and as a GS1-128 barcode is the common way to do that, and many buyers ask for it.
When is FSMA 204 enforced?
Congress directed FDA not to enforce the Food Traceability Rule before 20 July 2028. The original compliance date was 20 January 2026.
Who assigns the traceability lot code?
The firm that initially packs the food or transforms it. Later firms keep the code they received.
Can LabelInn produce the 24-hour sortable spreadsheet?
Not the whole of it. LabelInn records every label it prints, and that record can be exported, but the key data elements for each tracking event live in your own systems.
Which barcode does LabelInn use for the lot code?
GS1-128 with the GTIN (01), the lot (10) and a date such as the pack date (13). A GS1 DataMatrix carrying the same data is also possible.
KEEP GOING
Related
PRINTING REGULATED CODES?
Tell us the rule, the code and the printer.
Send us which rule applies, what you label, how many labels a day and where the data comes from. A person replies within 24 hours with what LabelInn covers today and what it does not.