Food Borne Illness Prevention

Food Safety Principles to Keep Us Safe

There are more than 3,000 state and local agencies in America responsible for retail food regulation, including the monitoring of the proper use of restaurant equipment to preserve the safety of America's retail food supply. FDA-spurred inspections and regulations are in place to minimize the risk of foodborne illness in retail food products.

Codes, Regulations & Interpretations

Regulations:

U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Indiana State Department of Health Laws, Rules, and Regulations: pertaining to retail food establishments
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment: regulations for restaurants, grocery stores, and other retail food vendors

State Codes:

State Retail and Food Service Codes and Regulations listed by state: by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
California Retail Food Code: from the California Health and Safety Code
Washington State Retail Food Code: by the Washington State Department of Health
Oregon Department of Agriculture Retail Food Code: taken from the Oregon Department of Agriculture Food Safety Program
California Retail Food Code:taken from the California Health and Safety Code
Indiana State Department of Health: Retail Food Establishment Sanitation Requirements

Food Code

The Food Code is a publication issued by the FDA every four years that outlines the legal standards for regulations in the retail and food service industry. It is used on the local and state level as an example of how food safety rules could and should be written and updated to comply with federal regulations.

Past Food Codes:

2009 FDA Food Code

Supplement to the 2009 FDA Food Code

Federal & State Cooperative Programs

The Association of Food and Drug Officials is responsible for compiling new data on how the FDA Food Code policies are being adopted at the state, local and tribal territory level. This list of FDA Food Code adoption shows the breakdown of how codes have been embraced and implemented as of 1999.

San Francisco Department of Public Health: Retail Food Safety Program
Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services: Retail Food Establishment Regulations
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services: Food safety and inspection information
Oregon Department of Agriculture: Food Safety Laws and Regulations for Retail Food
Ohio Department of Agriculture: Retail Food Preparedness Guide
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture: Retail foods, facilities and restaurants
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment: Retail foods rules and regulations
Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services: Kentucky food code
California Department of Public Health: Retail food program

Inspection & Quality Assurance Resources

There are FDA-mandated federal procedures in place for retail food inspection officers. In addition, each state and county has its own set of food inspection guides. There are FDA-certified inspection and training officers stationed in the Pacific, Northeast, Central, Southwest, and Southeast regions to provide assistance to the local and state food safety and health programs.

LA County Public Health Retail Food Inspection: Responsibilities, requirements, closures, and retail food inspection guide
Jefferson County Public Health Retail Food Inspections: Food Service Establishment Inspection Program
Mendocino County Retail Food Facility Inspections: by the Health and Human Services Agency
El Paso County Public Health: Retail food establishment inspections

Food Safety Principles

One of the major sets of principles for retail and food service establishments to follow are the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP). These rules and principles are upheld by managerial roles at the retail level to ensure food safety in preparation and service to the consumers.

HACCP principles:

The Seven Principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) by the University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension for Food Safety
Manual for the Voluntary Use of HACCP Principles for Operators of Food Service and Retail Establishments by the FDA
Manual for Applying HACCP Principles to Risk-based Retail and Food Service Inspections by the FDA and the Office of Food Safety
HACCP Principles and Application Guidelines by the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods
Key Facts: The Seven HACCP Principles by the Food Safety and Inspection Service
Foundational HACCP Principles from the official HACCP Principles for Food Safety website

Other food safety principles:

The Basic Principles of Food Safety from FoodService.org
Food Safety Principles for Food Workers by the Massachusetts Partnership for Food Safety Education
Food Safety Management Principles by the National Registry of Food Safety Professionals

Food Defense & Emergency Responses

Food defense measures as implemented and enforced by the FDA:

Food Security Preventative Measures Guidance provided by the FDA for retail food stores and food service establishments
Food Security Preventive Measures for Food Producers, Processors and Transporters, according to the FDA
Food Tampering, an Extra Ounce of Caution guidelines: ways to detect, who to contact, and safe preparation
Food Defense and Terrorism, as published by the FDA

Food emergency responses to natural disasters and pest issues:

Restaurants and Grocers Reopening After Hurricanes and Flooding: guidelines from the FDA
Guidelines for properly disposing of contaminated or spoiled food: in a notice from the FDA to growers, manufacturers and transporters
Hurricanes: Health and Safety After a Storm: consumer and retail food industry information from the FDA
Guidelines for the decontamination of transport vehicles: notice from the FDA with attention to food manufacturers, growers, and transporters

Program Standards

FDA’s Program Standards: Evaluating and Measuring Program Effectiveness
Listing of Jurisdictions Enrolled in the voluntary national retail food regulatory program standards as of January 2014
Q&A; for Implemented Retail Program Standards by the Clearinghouse Work Group as of February 2014
Chatham County Public Health Department meets FDA food program standards
Food Logistics reports on the FDA’s issuance of the voluntary food program standards
FoodSafety.gov: food standards currently in place and future standards in the works
Global Food Safety Initiative: standards addressing food, packaging, distribution and storage on an international level
US Department of Agriculture: retail industry standards for protecting public health
National Food Service Management Institute: Food Safety Standard Operating Procedures from the University of Mississippi

Industry & Regulatory Assistance Resources

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration provides training materials such as handbooks, satellite broadcasts, and review guides to assist producers, transporters, and other employees within the retail food industry. Below is a list of resources provided by the FDA to assist with upholding regulations across the board:

Satellite Broadcasts:

Reducing risk factors at retail and food service from November 2006
Using Employee Health and Personal hygiene measures from May 2010

Compliance & Enforcement Resources

United States Environmental Protection Agency: compliance resources for food service, food waste, food safety, and state regulations
United States Department of Labor: Occupational Safety and Health Administration industry-specific resources
US Food and Drug Administration: guidance, regulations and compliance
MetricStream webinar: 1-hour presentation on compliance with food safety standards in retail food operations
The Center for Retail Food Safety and Defense: Food Safety Resources
Produce Safety Best Practices Guide by the Produce Marketing Association
Food Safety Research Information Office: retail and food service safety resources
Food Safety Publications for Businesses by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection
US Food Safety in Multiple Languages by UMass Extension
Retail Food Risk Factor Studies by the FDA.