Just in time for the January kickoff of the state’s 2023 legislative season, the FDA released the 2022 Food Code. This is the 10th edition of the Food Code, which the FDA calls “a model to protect public health and ensure that food is not adulterated and is honestly presented when served to consumers.” ” said.
The Food and Drug Administration says the Food Code is “the best advice for a uniform system of regulations addressing the safety and protection of food served in retail establishments and food services.”
The 2022 edition is for food service, retail grocery, or food vending operations.
Alternatives that provide the same level of public health protection to ensure food safety in retail outlets and foodservices are permitted by the 2022 Food Code. According to the FDA, this reflects the agency’s continued commitment to maintaining programs of cooperation with state, local, tribal and territory governments.
The 2022 edition reflects the input of regulators, industry, academia and consumers who participated in the 2021 Congress on Food Protection (CFP) Biennial Meeting in 2021.
FDA encourages state, local, tribal, and territory partners to adopt the latest version of the FDA Food Code. Benefits associated with the full and widespread adoption of the 2022 Food Code as statutes, codes and ordinances include:
- Reduce the risk of foodborne illness within food establishments, protecting consumers and industry from potentially devastating health impacts and economic losses.
- Uniform standards for retail food safety reduce complexity and ensure compliance.
- Elimination of redundant processes for establishing food safety standards.
- Establishing a more standardized approach to inspection and auditing of food facilities.
Members of the FDA’s National Retail Food Team are available to assist regulators, educators, and industry in their efforts to adopt, implement, and understand the provisions of the FDA Food Code and Retail Program Standards. Inquiries can be sent to retailfoodprotectionteam@fda.hhs.gov or directly to retail food specialists in any of the FDA’s three retail food protection divisions nationwide.
food code 2022 (PDF:4.68MB)
Summary of Changes to the 2022 FDA Food Code
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