Food code

A food code is the organic body and systematized basic standards relating to food, condiments, stimulants and drink and beverages, their concerned raw materials, utensils and equipment use and domestic consumption.

Food codes have as their main goals:

There is an international code, called the Codex Alimentarius, and regional and national codes.

The U.S. Food Code is released by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) every four years as a guide or model from which health jurisdictions nationwide can develop their food service sanitation standards. First published in 1993, the Food Code represents best practices regarding safe food storage, handling, and preparation.

The current version of the FDA Food Code was released in 2013. Health jurisdictions use these guidelines to create their own regulations, which form the basis for food safety standards and sanitation inspections of food service establishments and retail food operations.

According to the FDA, the Food Code provides “practical, science-based guidance and manageable, enforceable provisions for mitigating risk factors known to cause food-borne illness. The Code is a reference document for regulatory agencies that ensure food safety in food service establishments, retail food stores, other food establishments at the retail level, and institutions, such as nursing homes and child care centers.”

Contributors to the development of the Food Code are the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the Department of Health and Human Services and the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the Department of Agriculture. The Conference for Food Protection also provides recommendations for FDA Food Code standards.

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