This Toolkit contains valuable resources for food safety professionals at all levels. It can be used to:

• learn more about the Food Code and how it is implemented; and
• influence decision-makers such as legislators, board members, and other individuals in leadership positions to adopt the latest editions of the Food Code.

The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Food Code is a model code for safeguarding public health and is a scientifically sound, technical resource that can be used to regulate the retail segment of the food industry. Thousands of state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) government agencies responsible for regulating retail foods may find this model code to be of great benefit in protecting the retail food supply in their communities. This model code is a valuable reference document, which provides uniform guidance on food safety and sanitation for SLTT agencies. FDA issues a new edition of the Food Code every 4 years and supplementals are released in the intervening 2 years.

In 2020, the Collaborative’s Food Code Adoption Toolkit Working Group disseminated a survey to 221 SLTT retail food regulatory programs. The results of this survey informed the creation of this resource. The Food Code Adoption Toolkit is designed to be a living resource that is frequently updated as new tools and information become available and contributions added in support of the adoption of the Food Code.

This Toolkit serves multiple purposes. First, it may be used as a resource to learn more about the Food Code and how it is implemented in jurisdictions around the country. It can also be used as a tool to influence decision-makers such as legislators, board members, and other individuals in leadership positions that can help drive the importance of using the most current, science-based standards to promote public health in the communities they serve. This Toolkit contains valuable resources for food safety professionals at all levels and is maintained by the members of the Food Code Adoption Toolkit Working group of the Collaborative.

The following video provides more information about what is in each section of the Toolkit, how to navigate it, and how these materials may be used to forward Food Code adoption in your jurisdiction.

How did the Toolkit work for you? Share your thoughts, feedback, and additional resources.

Last updated: January 24, 2023