Food Code 2022
Originally posted December 28, 2022. The most recent version is the January 18, 2023 version. The version date is displayed in the top left corner of page i.
The Food Code is a model for safeguarding public health and ensuring food is unadulterated and honestly presented when offered to the consumer. It represents FDA's best advice for a uniform system of provisions that address the safety and protection of food offered at retail and in food service.
FDA Commemorates 30 Years of the FDA Food Code to Enhance Safe Handling of Food in a Retail Setting
A conversation with experts on the FDA’s efforts to develop and update the Food Code, the importance of input from stakeholders and regulators, and what impact they expect the new Food Code to have.
This model is offered for adoption by local, state, and federal governmental jurisdictions for administration by the various departments, agencies, bureaus, divisions, and other units within each jurisdiction that have been delegated compliance responsibilities for food service, retail food stores, or food vending operations. Alternatives that offer an equivalent level of public health protection to ensure that food at retail and foodservice is safe are recognized in this model.
The 2022 Food Code (10th edition) reflects the agency’s continued commitment to maintaining cooperative programs with state, local, tribal, and territorial governments.
The 2022 edition reflects the input of regulatory officials, industry, academia, and consumers that participated in the 2020 biennial meeting of the Conference for Food Protection (CFP) (held in 2021).
FDA encourages its state, local, tribal, and territorial partners to adopt the latest version of the FDA Food Code. The benefits associated with complete and widespread adoption of the 2022 Food Code as statutes, codes and ordinances include:
- Reduction of the risk of foodborne illnesses within food establishments, thus protecting consumers and industry from potentially devastating health consequences and financial losses.
- Uniform standards for retail food safety that reduce complexity and better ensure compliance.
- The elimination of redundant processes for establishing food safety criteria.
- The establishment of a more standardized approach to inspections and audits of food establishments.
Members of FDA’s National Retail Food Team are available to assist regulatory officials, educators, and the industry in their efforts to adopt, implement, and understand the provisions of the FDA Food Code and the Retail Program Standards. Inquiries may be sent to retailfoodprotectionteam@fda.hhs.gov or directly to a Retail Food Specialist located in one of FDA’s three Retail Food Protection Branches across the country.
Food Code 2022 (PDF: 4.75MB)
Summary of Changes in the 2022 FDA Food Code