Food and Drug Administration
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
 Managing Food Safety:
 A HACCP Principles Guide for
Operators of Food
Establishments at the
Retail Level
DRAFT: APRIL 15, 1998


Chapter 6
Resources and References


The following is a partial list of references and sources of information which may be helpful in developing a food safety management system in your establishment. Many other references that address specific foods are listed in the FDA Food Code, Annex 2. This list is not intended to be all-inclusive or exclusive and the listing of a material that is not published by the federal government does not imply or convey FDA endorsement of that material.

USDA/FDA Foodborne Illness Education Information Center

The USDA/FDA Foodborne Illness Education Information Center provides information about foodborne illness prevention to educators, trainers, and organizations developing education and training materials for food workers and consumers. The center is part of an interagency agreement between the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. It is housed at the Food and Nutrition Information Center (FNIC) of the National Agricultural Library (NAL), USDA in Beltsville, Maryland. USDA and FDA established the center as part of a national compaign to reduce the risk of foodborne illness and to increase knowledge of food-related risks from production through consumption. The center's primary function is the development and maintenance of two databases.

The Foodborne Illness Educational Materials Database is a compilation of consumer and food worker educational materials developed by universities; private industry; and local, state, and federal agencies. This includes computer software, audiovisuals, posters, games, and teaching guides for elementary and secondary school education; training materials for the management and workers of retail food markets, food service establishments, and institutions; educational research and more.

The Hazard Analysis Critical Points (HACCP) Training Programs and Resources Database provides up-to-date listings of HACCP training programs and HACCP resource materials. Its intended users are educators, trainers, field staff in Extension, Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) personnel, FDA personnel, private sector food processing plants and organizations, and others interested in identifying HACCP training resources.

You may access the databases or contribute materials through the Center's World Wide Web site at http://www.nal.usda.gov/foodborne/ online versions of the databases are searchable. Nonsearchable disk copies are available by writing to the address below. Resource lists of Food Safety and Risk Assessment and on Foodborne Pathogens are available on the web site under publications. The Center's web site also has a Food Safety Index with links to many other food safety materials.

For more information about the databases or to contribute materials and/or information, contact Cindy Roberts, Information Specialist, at:

USDA/FDA Foodborne Illness Education Information Center
National Agricultural Library/USDA
Beltsville, MD 20705-2351
(301) 504-6365
Fax (301) 504-6409
Internet address: foodborne@nal.usda.gov


NOTICE:

This is a Draft document to guide operators in voluntarily applying HACCP principles in food establishments in the retail segment. It will be trial tested in a structured FDA pilot. The pilot, Notice of which will appear in the Federal Register, is an open process and as experience is gained from the various phases of that pilot, this Guide will be modified. The Agency recognizes that this document has areas that need to be further clarified and developed with broader input and based on industry's experiences with the practicalities of integrating the HACCP approach in their operations. The Guide will continue to evolve and improve.

It is anticipated that the field application of this guidance document will identify additional processes, special food considerations, or other facets of a HACCP program that need to be addressed. It is also expected, as reflected in the Annex, that the listing of commodity-specific hazards will be expanded developing their HACCP systems.

The Agency fully recognizes the diversity of "retail food establishments" and their varying in-house resources to implement HACCP. That recognition is combined with an understanding that the success of such implementation is dependent upon identifying realistic and useful ways of making it happen that are customized to the operation. FDA is open to record keeping applications that minimize the burden of instituting a HACCP system while providing the added consumer protection.

FDA is most interested in receiving comments from parties who may review or use this Guide either within the pilot program or outside of that process. Of particular interest to the Agency are alternative ways of controlling hazards, input regarding special food considerations as described in Annex 2, and specific comments with respect to providing additional practical HACCP guidance for the retail industry. To submit comments, please photocopy the pages of concern, mark them up with your suggested changes, and forward them to:


Dr. John E. Kvenberg
HACCP Policy Strategic Manager (HFS-10)
Office of Policy, Planning and Strategic Initiatives
Food and Drug Administration
200 C Street, S. W.
Washington, DC 20204

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