U.S. flag An official website of the United States government
  1. Home
  2. Food
  3. Guidance & Regulation (Food and Dietary Supplements)
  4. Retail Food Protection
  5. FDA Food Code
  6. Adoption of the FDA Food Code by State and Territorial Agencies Responsible for the Oversight of Restaurants and Retail Food Stores
  1. FDA Food Code

Adoption of the FDA Food Code by State and Territorial Agencies Responsible for the Oversight of Restaurants and Retail Food Stores

This report covers the period ending December 31, 2022.

A goal of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Retail Food Safety Initiative is to “encourage widespread, uniform, and complete adoption of the FDA Food Code.” Adoption of the Food Code by state and territorial authorities with responsibility for regulating foodservice and retail food stores has been a goal of the FDA since the inception of the FDA Retail Food Safety Initiative. Adoption of the Food Code represents a successful federal/state partnership for improving food safety. The Food Code establishes practical, science-based guidance for mitigating risk factors that are known to cause or contribute to foodborne illness outbreaks associated with retail and foodservice establishments and is an important part of strengthening our nation’s food protection system.

Since 2016, CFSAN’s (Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition) Office of Food Safety, Retail Food Protection Staff has been publishing annual reports by analyzing and compiling the information gathered by FDA’s Retail Food Specialists. In the current format, the 1993 version is the 1st edition of FDA Food Code, and the 2022 version is the 10th edition of FDA Food Code which was published in December of 2022. 2023 marks the 30th anniversary of FDA Food Code in the current format.

Key numbers about adoption status:

  • 34 States have adopted one of the three most recent versions (2022, 2017, and 2013 version), representing 62.47% of the U.S. population.
  • 18 States have adopted one of the two most recent versions (2022, and 2017 version), representing 43.42% of the U.S. population.
  • 2 States and 2 Territories have adopted the most recent version (2022 version), representing 4.82% of the U.S. population.

Key findings: 

  • Adoption of the 2017 Food Code increased every year since it was published in February of 2018 and before the 2022 Food Code was published.
  • Adoption of the 2013 Food Code was increased before the 2017 Food Code was published and decreased after the 2017 Food Code was published.
  • Adoption of the 2009 Food Code decreased from 22 States to 9 States between 2016-2022.

Full 2022 Food Code Adoption Status Report (PDF 1.05)

 

SUBSCRIBE

Get regular FDA email updates delivered on this topic to your inbox.

Back to Top