FDA has released the newest version of the Food Code
Blog by Lori Stephens based on the new FDA Food Code release.
The FDA has released an updated version of the federal Food Code – Food Code 2017.
What is the Food Code?
The Food Code is a set of requirements based on science for preparing and serving food.
The Food Code documents the best ways to prevent foodborne illness and injury. It provides guidance for restaurants, retail food stores, vending operations and food service operations, including those in schools, hospitals, nursing homes and child care centers. By following the requirements in the Food Code, these operations can eliminate the most important factors that can cause food safety hazards.
The FDA provides this document to the food industry as a tool. It is a very important fact that the FDA does not require that the Food Code be followed by local health departments and similar organizations – they describe it as “model regulation”. It can be adopted fully, or parts can be used. The FDA allow alternative requirements that offer an equivalent level of food safety.
Why the Food Code important is Important to You
This is important to our business because this document prescribes the use of single-use gloves for handling ready-to-eat food. It is the main regulatory reason restaurants and food service operations use gloves.
A ton of work goes into revising the Food Code
The FDA writes the food code with input from regulatory officials (USDA and CDC), industry, academia, and consumers at an industry meeting of the Conference for Food Protection (CFP).
The Food Code used to be updated and published every two years, the process to develop a Food Code revision is really time consuming. Due to the amount of input, edits, and science involved, the document is now revised every four years.
The effort to create this new revision started in mid-2106 and the document was just published last week. It is called the Food Code 2017 because the contents were agreed on in 2017, even though it was published in 2018. The last revision is called Food Code 2013.
What has changed in the Food Code 2017?
According to the FDA’s statement, significant changes to the Food Code 2017 include:
- Revised requirement for the “Person in Charge” to be a Certified Food Protection Manager
- New section addressing the use of bandages, finger cots or finger stalls
- Harmonized cooking times and temperatures for meat and poultry to ensure uniformity with guidance from the USDA
- Updated procedures during an extended water or electrical outage
If you want to read the Code, or share it with one of your customers, it is available on the FDA website at http://www.fda.gov/FoodCode.
During National Food Safety Education Month is it time for Your Food Safety Refresher?
You see them in every restaurant and commercial foodservice operation across the United States. Framed and proudly displayed, often by the kitchen, the cashier, the kitchen entrance, or the service counter - just as they should be. To what am I referring? The food safety certification certificates, of course!
Welcome to National Food Safety Education Month!
In September of each year, we not only have the opportunity to celebrate Labor Day, but we also welcome National Food Safety Education Month! It is this time of the year when it is important to remember that Foodborne illnesses are still a major concern in the United States, although I am guessing many Americans don’t think about the safety of the food they eat as they go throughout their daily lives. The statistics show one in every six Americans will suffer from a foodborne illness each year, for a total of about 48 million cases each year.
Protecting Fresh Produce Post-Harvest, Integral to Safe Food
During the height of the summer, at least in the Midwest, farmers markets are in full swing and fresh produce is plentiful. Every backyard gardener is reaping the benefits of their work, with bountiful harvests of tomatoes and cucumbers. Everyone seems to have a neighbor who is trying to pawn off his or her over-production of cucumbers or summer squash during this time of year. When picking up that produce at the farmer’s market or from your neighbor down the street, have you ever given any thought to the microbial safety of it? Honestly, even in my position, it certainly is NOT the first thing that comes to my mind. But, earlier this month, I came across a news story out of Wisconsin discussing a Salmonella outbreak associated with shelled peas sold at a local farmers market. Who would have thought shelled peas would be impacted? The story noted, and it served as a great reminder, that most outbreaks associated with Salmonella in produce are due to mistakes made in handling or transportation of produce after harvesting.
Properly Cleaning and Sanitizing: The Right Chemical Mix to Maintain Ultimate Effectiveness
A few weeks ago, my family and I had the pleasure of setting sail on a cruise vacation. It is truly one of the only ways that I find that I am able to unplug from work and relax for a small spell. However, as I walked around the ship in our post-COVID world, I couldn’t help but admire all the extra cleaning steps the staff were undertaking to keep us all as safe as possible while in the middle of the ocean with 3,000 other vacationers. All of this cleaning and sanitizing had me thinking about how we each clean and sanitize our own operations and which chemicals we chose to use.
