Supplement to the 2001 FDA Food Code

Mr. Joe Levitt, Center Director for the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition and Ms. Janice Oliver, Deputy Center Director, are pleased to issue FDA's Supplement to the 2001 FDA Food Code.

The Food Code is an important part of the strategy for achieving uniform national food safety standards and for enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of our nation's food safety system. This Supplement, which updates the 2001 Food Code, reflects the current science, emerging food safety issues, and imminent health hazards related to food safety. Some key highlights of the Supplement are:

• A revised criteria for hand sanitizers;
• A revised hot holding temperature requirement for receiving potentially hazardous foods; and
• A revised language prohibiting bare hand contact with ready-to-eat food in facilities serving highly susceptible populations

Another key change is the decision to move to a four-year interval between complete Food Code revisions. The next complete revision of the Food Code will be published in 2005. The Supplement will provide the most current food safety provisions to agencies planning to initiate rule-making activities before 2005. In addition, this Supplement gives other users of the Food Code -- educators, trainers, and the food service, retail food, and vending industries -- up-to-date information on mitigating risk factors that can contribute to foodborne illnesses.

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS); USDA; state, local, and other federal and tribal government agencies; as well as the food industry share responsibility for ensuring that our food supply is safe. Therefore, FDA encourages all jurisdictions to use the 2001 Food Code and its Supplement to examine the level of food safety protection and to take the necessary steps to increase their level of safety.

DHHS and USDA, in partnership with numerous others, will continue to strengthen our nation's food safety system and to work toward uniform and effective food safety standards for food service, retail stores, and retail-level establishments nationwide.