Information on availability of the 1999 updated version of the Food Code,
plus changes since the 1997 release are listed below.
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The 1999 Food Code will be available on the web at
http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/foodcode.html
Copies of the 1999 Food Code are available in the following formats:
HTML version
Letter Introducing the 1999 Food Code
Summary of Changes
The remainder of the 1999 Food Code will be available in HTML format
at the close of business, February 26.
PDF version -- available close of business February 24.
Word Perfect 6/7/8 version compressed in self-extracting zip format
Printed copies and computer disks from the National Technical
Information Service
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[Federal Register: February 22, 1999
(Volume 64, Number 34)] [Notices]
[Page 8576-8577]
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Food and Drug Administration
[Docket No. 99N-0191]
Food Code; 1999 Revision; Availability
AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.
ACTION: Notice.
SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration is announcing the availability
of the 1999 revision of the Food Code. This 1999 revision was initiated in
cooperation with the Conference for Food Protection (CFP) to help assure
that safe, unadulterated, and honestly presented food is sold or offered
for human consumption by retail food establishments.
ADDRESSES: The 1999 revision of the Food Code is available for public
examination in the Dockets Management Branch (HFA-305), Food and Drug
Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Regarding questions about this document: Betty Harden, Office of Field
Programs, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (HFS-627), 200 C
St. SW., Washington, DC 20204, 202-205-8140.
Regarding additional information about the CFP: Leon Townsend,
Conference for Food Protection, 110 Tecumseh Trail, Frankfort, KY 40601,
502-695-0253.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: FDA provides assistance to local, State, and
Federal governmental bodies to ensure that the food that is provided to
consumers by retail food establishments is not a vector of communicable
diseases. One mechanism for providing that assistance is the publication
of a model code that sets out FDA's best advice for a uniform system of
regulation to ensure that the food sold or offered for human consumption
at retail is safe, properly protected, and accurately presented.
The CFP was originally established in 1971 by State and Federal
officials and by representatives of industry. In 1988, the CFP adopted a
constitution and bylaws to provide a formal structure under which State
regulatory authorities could meet and consider guidelines for improving
food safety in the retail segment of the food industry.
At the 1986 CFP meeting, FDA presented a White Paper that recommended
combining the three distinct model codes that existed at that time (retail
food stores, food service facilities, and vending) into a Food Protection
Unicode. The CFP endorsed the approach that FDA would develop a model Food
Protection Unicode as a priority project. FDA formed a Unicode Task Group
and published a notice of the Unicode's availability for comment in the
Federal Register of May 9, 1988 (53 FR 16472), when the Task Group
completed a draft. Based on comments submitted in response to that notice,
and in consideration of subsequent comments provided by regulatory
officials, industry representatives, academia, and consumer
representatives at the CFP meetings in 1988, 1990, and 1992, FDA modified
the document and finalized it as the 1993 Food Code. Based on field
application trials, further comment, and input from the 1994 CFP meeting,
FDA issued a revised version of the 1993 Food Code as the 1995 Food Code.
Another revision, the 1997 Food Code, included recommendations made at the
1996 CFP meeting.
The CFP wrote a letter to FDA on June 11, 1998, and suggested changes
in the 1997 Food Code. As in the past, these recommended changes were
cooperatively developed by regulatory, industry, academic, and consumer
representatives within the purview of the constitution and bylaws of the
CFP during its 1998 meeting.
The 1999 Food Code responds to those suggestions. Note, however, that
FDA's response in the Food Code to the CFP recommendations differs in one
respect from the agency's August 14, 1998, letter to the CFP. That is,
cook-chill and sous vide operations are not exempted from the definition
of reduced oxygen packaged food or from the attendant Code requirements,
when Clostridium botulinum is a hazard in the final packaged form.
Significant changes from the 1997 Food Code include the following:
(1) An insert page is provided to alert the Food Code reader to the
options (and further discussion in Annex 3 about the requirement and the
options) available to food establishments in advising especially
vulnerable consumers of the increased possibility of foodborne illness
when animal-derived foods are eaten raw or undercooked.
(2) Clarification of the Code provision that prohibits bare-hand
contact with ready-to-eat food is provided in Annex 3 and an insert page
provides a synopsis of the clarification; a prohibition against the use of
artificial fingernails and nail polish by food employees is added; and the
display of handwashing signs at handwashing facilities and the use of
automated handwashing facilities are addressed.
(3) For establishments serving highly susceptible populations,
enhanced food safety protections are added with respect to raw shell eggs,
juices, and raw seed sprouts.
(4) The definition and Code provisions related to reduced oxygen
packaging are modified to more clearly address C. botulinum as a
microbiological hazard in certain packaging processes, barriers against
the growth of C. botulinum, and types of reduced oxygen packaging.
(5) New defined terms include accredited program, juice, variance, and
whole-muscle, intact beef steak; other definitions were modified including
foodborne illness, potentially hazardous food (with respect to garlic in
oil), reduced oxygen packaging, and support animal which is now service
animal.
(6) Certain food employee-related provisions are modified, such as
eliminating the requirement that food employees report travel out of the
country, allowances for nurse practitioners and physician assistants to
provide medical documentation, and addition of certain duties of the
person in charge to reflect a 1996 CFP recommendation that was overlooked
in the 1997 Code.
(7) Time and temperature controls are modified specifically for the
cooking temperature for hamburger at less than 1 second and for cooking
pork, and labeling criteria are added relative to whole-muscle, intact
beef steaks which may be cooked rare without a consumer advisory and
relative to safe handling instructions for retail operations that package
meat and poultry.
(8) Clarification is provided for cleaning and sanitizing utensils and
equipment used in food preparation and for refilling consumer containers,
used by consumers to dispense condiments, and used in refrigerated
preparation areas.
(9) Date marking of ready-to-eat food is augmented to limit the amount
of time new food can be added to a container of existing food.
(10) More user aids are provided, such as additional references in
Annex 2 and a diagram of the date marking criteria in Annex 7.
(11) Provisions are updated to reflect consistency with the current
Code of Federal Regulations and other Federal agencies' guidance.
The 1999 revision of the Food Code is available for public examination
in the Dockets Management Branch (address above) between 9 a.m. and 4
p.m., Monday through Friday.
Copies of the 1999 Food Code are available on the World Wide Web at
http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/list.html or at http://www.fedworld.com. The 1999
Food Code also may be purchased from the National Technical Information
Service, U.S. Department of Commerce, Springfield, VA 22161, in several
formats: Docutek copy, spiral bound, WordPerfect 6.1 files on diskette,
and enhanced electronic version on diskette or on CD-ROM including Adobe
Reader. The enhanced versions include electronic features such as
hypertext links that enable the reader to quickly access the text of
cross-referenced Code provisions or other documents. Other documents
include Federal laws and regulations and, in the CD-ROM version, reference
manuals to assist with plan review and HACCP implementation.
Dated: February 10, 1999.
William K. Hubbard,
Associate Commissioner for Policy Coordination.
[FR Doc. 99-4315 Filed 2-19-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-01-F
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