ATLANTA, March 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Chemstar Corporation, a leader in the Food Safety and Sanitation industry, recognizes the new FDA Food Code. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) completely revises its Food Code every four years, and issues a supplement every two years. The new 2009 FDA Food Code was released in late 2009, with revisions based on issues deliberated and approved by the Conference for Food Protection (CFP). FDA updates the Food Code to insure adherence to the latest science in the field of food safety as well as to include new FDA priorities. The Code is available for adoption by state, local and tribal jurisdictions, and is considered the standard of reference for compliance by the retail food industry.
Many of the changes from the 2005 Food Code and the 2007 Supplement that appear in the 2009 Food Code are editing changes, corrections, renumbering and updating web links throughout the Code and Annexes. Several definitions were added in Chapter 1.
Throughout the Code, the previously used terms of "critical" and "non-critical" have been replaced with "Priority", "Priority foundation" and "Core" items. As an example, sanitization of utensils was considered a Critical item in the 2005 Food Code; it is designated as a Priority item in the 2009 Food Code. The process of sanitizing utensils still has the same critical importance in food safety, but with a new term to designate it.
Also in Chapter 1, the definition of "Potentially Hazardous Food (Time/Temperature Control for Safety Food)" was revised to include "cut, leafy greens". This is a significant revision requiring that cut, leafy greens be refrigerated at 41 degrees Fahrenheit or below and stored and prepared using the same precautions as used for other PHF/TCS foods.
In Chapter 2, Management and Personnel, food allergy awareness is now included as a part of the required food safety training of employees by the Person in Charge.
Many of the significant changes occur in Chapter 3, Food. An amendment prohibits the sale of undercooked, comminuted meat (e.g., ground meat) from a children's menu. "Mechanically tenderized" meats were added to the list of foods that shall be cooked to heat all parts of the food to 155 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 seconds. Language was added to clarify that a variance is required when operating a molluscan shellfish life-support system display tank, but that no variance is required for Reduced Oxygen Packaging (ROP) methods listed in this section. ROP methods do require controls for growth and/or toxin formation by Clostridium botulinum and Listeria monocytogenes.
Several changes in Chapter 4 bring the wording consistent with EPA terminology and protocols for sanitizers. Minor changes were included in Chapters 5, 6, and 7. Revisions to Chapter 8 make enforcement consistent with the other Code revisions.
The complete 2009 FDA Food Code, as well as a summary of the changes from the 2005 edition/2007 supplement is available at:
http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/RetailFoodProtection/FoodCode/FoodCode2009/
SOURCE Chemstar Corporation
WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?
Newsrooms &
Influencers
Digital Media
Outlets
Journalists
Opted In
Share this article