HOUSTON, Aug. 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sysco Corporation (NYSE:SYY), the world’s largest food distributor, today announced its comprehensive plan to support the Food Traceability Rule, issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

The new Food Traceability Rule mandates establishing a traceability recordkeeping system for certain foods to facilitate faster identification and rapid removal of potentially harmful products from the market. Effective summer of 2024, Sysco will begin to implement advanced traceability measures to ensure its food products' safety, quality and transparency from farm to table.

"Sysco is dedicated to leading the industry in food safety to protect our customers and our communities," said Charles Leftwich, Sysco’s Vice President of Food Safety and Quality Assurance. "As the industry leader, we’re not just working toward our own regulatory compliance, we’re also taking steps to help our suppliers comply.”

Key Components of Sysco's Traceability Initiative:
  
Strong Partnerships: To bolster its traceability efforts, Sysco will partner with iFoodDS, a leader in traceability, food safety and quality management solutions. This collaboration will give Sysco's extensive supplier network flexible, interoperable and pragmatic options for sharing data required by FSMA 204.

Enhanced Digital Tracking Systems: Sysco will leverage state-of-the-art digital technologies to streamline product tracking through every stage of the supply chain to provide real-time visibility and ensure the integrity of traceability data.

Supplier Collaboration: Sysco will work closely with its vast network of suppliers to implement traceability practices. Sysco in partnership with iFoodDS will provide education and guidance to align supplier processes with Sysco's traceability standards.

Customer Support: Sysco is committed to supporting its customers with an effective solution that provides clear and accessible information regarding the traceability of its products.

Continuous Improvement and Compliance: Sysco will establish an internal task force to monitor compliance and continuously improve traceability processes. This team will ensure that Sysco remains at the forefront of food safety and regulatory adherence.

About Sysco
Sysco is the global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments and other customers who prepare meals away from home. Its family of products also includes equipment and supplies for the foodservice and hospitality industries. With more than 76,000 colleagues, the company operates 340 distribution facilities worldwide and serves approximately 730,000 customer locations. For fiscal year 2024 that ended June 29, 2024, the company generated sales of more than $78 billion. Information about our Sustainability program, including Sysco’s 2023 Sustainability Report and 2023 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Report, can be found at www.sysco.com.

For more information, visit www.sysco.com or connect with Sysco on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SyscoFoods. For important news and information regarding Sysco, visit the Investor Relations section of the company’s Internet home page at investors.sysco.com, which Sysco plans to use as a primary channel for publishing key information to its investors, some of which may contain material and previously non-public information. In addition, investors should continue to review our news releases and filings with the SEC. It is possible that the information we disclose through any of these channels of distribution could be deemed to be material information.

For more information contact:

Media Contact
Matt Stewart
Matt.Stewart@sysco.com
281-584-1390