Food sent by international mail must now have a tracking number

US health regulators will soon require a tracking number for all food packages arriving by international mail. This means the agency can follow individual food shipments from sender to recipient, especially if they are refused or held at the border.

Until now, food arriving in the US by international mail was harder for regulators to track than commercial shipments. This rule closes that gap, giving US health regulators a way to follow individual packages. It means the agency can more easily identify and stop potentially unsafe food from entering the country through postal services.