EUDR and the New Era of Supply Chain Traceability
By Emily Herbertson, Ideagen
The EU Deforestation Regulation is set to reshape traceability requirements across the food and drink industry, and its implications go far beyond a simple compliance deadline.
Formally amended in December 2025 and enforceable from 30 December 2026, the EUDR requires that products entering the EU market are verifiably deforestation-free. It covers seven
28 FDPP- www. fdpp. co. uk commodities central to food and drink manufacturing cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber, soya and wood, along with derived products from chocolate and ready meals to paper-based packaging.
What sets the EUDR apart from previous compliance requirements is the depth of traceability it demands. This is not about country-of-origin declarations or certification logos. It requires geolocation data from the farm where a commodity was produced. For an industry built on complex, multi-tier global sourcing, that changes the conversation entirely.
The traceability challenge
Food and drink businesses understand traceability. Decades of food safety regulation have built strong foundations in documentation, auditability and supplier quality management. But the EUDR pushes the needle for visibility further than most existing systems can reach.
A single fruit pot from a fast-casual dining chain can involve over 11 supply chain tiers spanning four continents. Most manufacturers know their direct suppliers well. The EUDR, however, asks for data from Tiers 3, 4, even 10, for instance, the smallholder farmers and cooperatives at the very beginning of the chain. For a confectionery business sourcing cocoa from West Africa, or a bakery buying soyabased ingredients that have crossed multiple borders before arriving at