The FDA Food Code 2022, provides guidelines to state, and local authorities and retailers to help decrease foodborne illness risks by providing a unified set of national standards for retail food safety, issued by the US FDA. It is a model for protecting public health and ensuring that food is wholesome and accurately provided to consumers.

The 2022 edition marks the 30th anniversary of the FDA Food Code. With this addition, the agency continues to be dedicated to upholding cooperation initiatives with state, municipal, tribal, and territory governments. It incorporates feedback from regulatory authorities, industry, academia, and consumers who attended the Conference for Food Protection’s 2020 biennial meeting.

This model has been widely adopted by the state, local, tribal, and territorial agencies, retail food stores, vending operations, and food service operations in schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and childcare centers, although it’s not mandatory.

Benefits associated with Food Code

• Reducing the risk of foodborne illness in food businesses.
• Uniform retail food safety regulations that reduce complexity and improve compliance.
• The reduction of unnecessary methods for creating food safety requirements.
• The implementation of a more consistent approach to food establishment inspections and audits.
• Safeguarding customers and industry from potentially disastrous health repercussions and financial losses.

For the first time, the 2022 Food Code addresses food donations. and this is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. It lays out the federal government’s plans to end hunger and reduce diet-related diseases by 2030.

One-third of all food consumed in the United States goes uneaten. The 2022 Food Code specified that food that is kept, prepared, packaged, displayed, and labeled in accordance with Food Code safety standards is food that is stored, prepared, packaged, displayed, and labeled in accordance with Food Code safety standards.

Members of the FDA’s National Retail Food Team are available to assist regulatory authorities, educators, and the industry in adopting, implementing, and comprehending the provisions of the FDA Food Code and the Retail Program Standards.