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  3. Guidance & Regulation (Food and Dietary Supplements)
  4. Retail Food Protection
  5. FDA Food Code
  6. Food Code Reference System
  1. FDA Food Code

The Food Code Reference System is a searchable database that provides access to FDA’s interpretative positions and responses to questions related to the FDA Food Code. The System is a resource for stakeholders from federal agencies, state, local, territorial and tribal jurisdictions, consumers, academia, and industry interested in preventing foodborne illness and injury in retail food, vending and foodservice operations. Federal, state, local, and tribal jurisdictions will benefit from this database as they promote compliance with food safety requirements throughout the United States.

Users of the Food Code Reference System can search the database using dropdown menus, keywords, date fields, or a combination of these options. Users can also retrieve, view, and save documents to a local computer system. FDA’s current thinking is reflected in the responses, even when a record in the system refers to an earlier edition of the Food Code rather than to the most recent Food Code edition.

To assist the user, a User Manual and a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page are accessible from the log-in page of the Food Code Reference System. Users can access these aids while within the database by clicking on the icons located in the upper right corner.

Inquiries regarding the FDA’s Food Code Reference System should be sent by email to retailfoodprotectionteam@fda.hhs.gov.

Launch the Food Code Reference System

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