Office of Microbiological Food Safety
Ensuring that food is a vehicle for wellness is the vision of the FDA’s Human Foods Program. It is our mission to protect and promote the health and wellness of people through science-based approaches to prevent foodborne illness, reduce diet-related chronic disease and ensure chemicals in food are safe.
The Office of Microbiological Food Safety (OMFS) supports this mission by working to reduce the burden of pathogen-related foodborne illness.
OMFS uses a risk management approach to evaluate and determine priorities that will help reduce the burden of pathogen-related foodborne illness in foods regulated by the FDA, leads the development of risk-based policies, provides regulatory oversight, and recommends research priorities related to microbiological food safety.
The office comprises:
- Office of Dairy and Seafood Safety
- Office of Produce Safety
- Operations Staff
What We Do
- Develop and implement risk-based microbial food safety policies for human consumption under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
- Oversee regulations, guidance, policy, strategies, and programs aimed at managing microbial risks and improving public health.
- Provide expert scientific, regulatory advice, and technical assistance on microbial food safety to the Human Foods Program, FDA inspections, investigations, and other key stakeholders.
- Identify and recommend research priorities for microbial food safety and risk management.
- Serve as the principal liaison with other FDA components and government agencies on microbial food safety policy and program issues.
Food Safety Programs
- Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)
- Prevention Strategies to Enhance Food Safety
- Leafy Green Action Plan
- Produce Safety Rule
- Cyclospora Prevention, Response and Research Action Plan
- Egg Safety
- FDA Grade "A" Milk Safety Program
- Seafood Safety
- Shellfish Cooperative Agreement Program
- Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)
Contact Us
- For media questions, contact FDAOMA@fda.hh.gov. Trade media questions can go to HFPTradePress@fda.hhs.gov.
- For general questions about the Human Foods Program, visit Industry and Consumer Assistance.