FDA Releases Food Code Reference System

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released its Food Code Reference System (FCRS), a searchable database that provides information for industry about FDA’s positions and responses to questions related to the FDA Food Code.

With an aim “to promote nationwide consistency and increase transparency about the Food Code,” FCRS contains entries that clarify issues such as (i) storing foods that require temperature control for safety; (ii) food establishment design and food equipment cleaning; (iii) bare hand contact with ready-to-eat foods; and (iv) preventing food contamination.

FDA plans to add entries that are “important to the uniform application of the Food Code and that may have implications across all jurisdictions that regulate food establishments.” These entries will reflect questions previously answered by FDA as well as responses to future inquires that FDA receives. The Retail Food Protection Team in FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) will develop and maintain the database information. See CFSAN Constituent Update, April 21, 2014.

Issue 521