The Role of Retail Food Specialists FDA Retail Food Specialists provide sup- port to SLTT jurisdictions in their eorts to adopt the Food Code . These Specialists have comprehensive knowledge of the Food Code that allows them to provide active support through every step of the adoption process. Specialists provide wide-ranging and com- prehensive support activities, serve as subject matter experts, and can coordinate with other key players—including members of the Col- laborative—in the adoption process. These Specialists can: •Connect jurisdictions with other juris- dictions that have gone through a similar adoption process or have overcome chal- lenges, thus facilitating mentorship, shar- ing of best practices, and giving firsthand advice on the adoption process. •Guide jurisdictions in obtaining buy-in from key partners involved in the adop- tion process. • Articulate the benefits of adopting uni- form, science-based regulations. •Help SLTT jurisdictions identify and understand gaps between their current retail food regulations and the most cur- rent Food Code . •Serve as active participants in stake- holder meetings, providing clarifications or interpretations of Food Code sections, reviewing proposed language, and provid- ing training or presentations to ensure a jurisdiction has a full understanding of Food Code provisions. FDA Specialists provide support even after a jurisdiction adopts an edition of the Food Code . They work with SLTT jurisdictions to
ensure uniform understanding and consis- tent application of the principles in the Food Code and provide training that aligns with the most current edition as it evolves.
across SLTT jurisdictions that support both regulatory programs and industry partners. Although Food Code adoption has the poten- tial to be complex and lengthy, there are tools, resources, and assistance available through the Collaborative. Leveraging the work of the Collaborative and pursuing support from FDA Retail Food Specialists can help juris- dictions adopt the most recent edition of the Food Code . Acknowledgements: This special report was supported by FDA of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $1,500,000 with 100% funded by FDA/HHS. The contents of this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the ocial views of, nor an endorsement by, FDA/HHS or the U.S. government. Further- more, the findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Cen- ters for Disease Control and Prevention or the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. The authors acknowledge the sup- port and assistance of the following individu- als: Brooke Benschoter, Jenice Butler, Barbara Kitay, and John Marcello. Corresponding Author: Laura M. Wildey, Senior Program Analyst, Food Safety, Pro- gram and Partnership Development, National Environmental Health Association, 720 South Colorado Boulevard, Suite 105A,
Preparation to Adopt the Food Code
Food Code adoption can be a complex pro- cess. Jurisdictions that are preparing to update their food code can meet the chal- lenges and increase buy-in by: •Knowing and fully understanding their jurisdiction’s food code legislative process. • Reviewing the various stages in the Food Code adoption process and identifying key partners (e.g., legislators, boards of health, retail food industry, consumer groups) that need to be engaged. • Developing targeted messaging for each of their key audiences so interested groups can be leveraged to support adoption eorts. To begin the Food Code adoption process or support a process that is already under- way, jurisdictions can reach out to their FDA Retail Food Specialist (www.fda.gov/food/ voluntary-national-retail-food-regulatory- program-standards/directory-fda-retail-food- specialists). We also encourage jurisdictions to connect with the Collaborative for tools, resources, and additional assistance (www. retailfoodsafetycollaborative.org). Conclusion The FDA Food Code provides a scientifically sound technical and legal basis for regulat- ing the retail segment of the food industry. This framework supports standardization and coordination of resources and eorts
Denver, CO, 80246-1910. Email: lwildey@neha.org.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Norovirus . https://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/ Conference for Food Protection. (2023). About the Conference . http:// www.foodprotect.org/about Food and Drug Administration. (2020). Benefits associated with com- plete adoption and implementation of the FDA Food Code. https:// www.fda.gov/food/fda-food-code/benefits-associated-complete- adoption-and-implementation-fda-food-code Food and Drug Administration. (2023). Adoption of the FDA Food Code by state and territorial agencies responsible for the oversight of restaurants and retail food stores . https://www.fda.gov/food/fda-
food-code/adoption-fda-food-code-state-and-territorial-agencies- responsible-oversight-restaurants-and-retail Hoover, E.R., Hedeen, N., Freeland, A., Kambhampati, A., Dewey- Mattia, D., Scott, K.-W., Hall, A., & Brown, L. (2020). Restaurant policies and practices related to norovirus outbreak size and dura- tion. Journal of Food Protection , 83 (9), 1607–1618. https://doi. org/10.4315/JFP-20-102 Kambhampati, A., Shioda, K., Gould, L.H., Sharp, D., Brown, L.G., Parashar, U.D., & Hall, A.J. (2016). A state-by-state assessment of food service regulations for prevention of norovirus out-
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