Toolkit Sections
Food Code Adoption Toolkit
Adopting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Food Code can be along and challenging process that can vary widely between jurisdictions due to differing administrative procedures and rulemaking processes. This toolkit outlines a path to Food Code adoption.
In it you will find:
- Overarching steps or phases and recommended actions to take during the adoption process
- Relevant resources including:
- Templates and examples
- Signed letters of support
- Vetted resources to support partnership with industry and training regulatory staff
- Advice, best practices, and lessons learned
- Tools and information for talking to decision-makers such as legislators and board members
Map your Food Code Adoption Journey
Use this map to guide your adoption process and discover tools, resources, and support for your Food Code adoption journey.
Click the map dots to learn more.
Know before you go
Start with the basics. You will need to know:
- what Food Code you’re currently on,
- what Food Code you are aiming to adopt,
- the administrative procedures for making and amending rules, and
- what the rulemaking processes are.
Learn more about how to set yourself up for success and find relevant tools and resources here:
Explain the "why"
Collaborate
Build and leverage strong relationships with both internal and external partners, including:
- Industry members
- Local public health officials
- Legislators and decision-makers
- Boards of Health
- Community members
Your success in Food Code adoption will depend on the overall support for change you create.
Address concerns
Food Code adoption has big implications for all members of your community, especially the retail food industry and regulatory staff. Prepare to address questions, concerns, and resistance to specific Food Code provisions. You may wish to draft an economic impact statement or share some of the scientific basis for Food Code provisions.
Learn how to address some common issues faced by jurisdictions who have gone through the adoption process:
Seek support
Food Code adoption can take a lot of time, resources, and money. Show decision-makers how much support there is for adoption from regulatory programs, industry organizations and members, associations, academia, and agencies to help you build the case for Food Code adoption.
Propose the changes
Neatly package materials for your decision-makers. Provide everything you can think of that a decision maker might want to know or helps bolster your case, including:
- Background information,
- Detailed changes,
- Any supporting documents you created or gathered in the previous steps,
- The reasoning and science behind the regulations.
Provide this information packet to:
- Your Board of Health,
- State legislature, or
- City, local, state, territorial, or tribal council(s).
Stay engaged, attend public meetings or hearings
Depending on your jurisdiction’s administrative procedures, there will likely be one or more public meetings. Attend these meetings and continue to make your case for Food Code adoption using your supporting materials and subject matter expertise.
We don’t have any resources on this topic yet. To submit a resource and help others, please contact us.
Provide support to impacted groups after adoption
Once you adopt the FDA Food Code, you will need to train your staff, educate the local industry, and inform the public about the changes to retail food regulation in your jurisdiction. You will need:
- An enforcement and compliance plan and timeline
- A training plan for your staff
- A plan to share the update with the general public
Need more support?
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Last updated: September 1, 2023
