LINKS & RESOURCES
Everything we point our own clients to, in one place.
For your convenience, we have links to resources for developing food safety systems. We are continuously adding links as soon as we identify them and believe they will be useful. All information is provided in good faith; Sabal Food Safety Consulting is not responsible for the accuracy of external sites or for links that move over time.
337 resources · 384 links
Table of Contents
1.- Guidance for the development and implementation of food safety plans
Under this menu we are organizing links to support the development and implementation of food safety systems.This menu is organized in sub-menues based on the most simple structure of a food safety system.
1.1.- Food Safety System
A food safety system is a group of programs, procedures, plans, etc. that have the purpose or intention of controling food safety hazards, by using Good Manufacturing Practices or by using the HACCP methodology.
FDA’s Food Safety Plan Builder
The Food Safety Plan Builder is a tool designed to assist owners/operators of food facilities with the development of food safety plans that are specific to their facilities and meet the requirements of the Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Food regulation (21 CFR Part 117).
National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF)
HACCP Principles and Applications Guidelines
Seafood HACCP Alliance Course – Sanitation Control Procedures for Processing Fish and Fishery Products (SGR-119)
This book contains guidance and information on how to develop procedures to cover the eight basic areas of the GMP requirements for sanitation in food processing facilities.
Canadian Food Inspection Agency – A Draft Step-by-Step Guide for Domestic Food Businesses and Exporters: Preparing a Preventive Control Plan
The information in this draft guide is based on requirements set out in the proposed Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR). It is important to note that the SFCR is not applicable at this time. The information is intended to help regulated parties understand the requirements they would need to comply with once the SFCR comes into force. The proposed requirements are subject to change as the regulatory process on the SFCR advances through its various stages. In the interim, current laws applicable to your food and business continue to apply.
Writing procedures
1.2.- Food Safety Hazards
Food safety hazards are those that will cause illness or injury in the absence of control.
What is “control”? As defined in the Codex Alimentarius, it has to meaning as verb and noun:
Control (verb): To take all necessary actions to ensure and maintain compliance with criteria established in the HACCP plan.
Control (noun): The state wherein correct procedures are being followed and criteria are being met.
FDA – Preventive Controls for Human Food / Draft Guidance for Industry / Appendix 1: Potential Hazards for Foods and Processes
This appendix contains information on the potential biological, chemical, and physical hazards that are food related and process related.
Toxic Agents in Plants
Bad Bug Book
OSHA Occupational Chemical Database
US Phamacopeial Convention / Food Fraud Database
ChemPortal
The Global Portal to Information on Chemical Substances
Food Packaging Material – Substances of Concern
Substitute it Now List
State of California – Proposition 65 in Plain Language
Proposition 65 requires businesses to notify Californians about significant amounts of chemicals in the products they purchase, in their homes or workplaces, or that are released into the environment.
State of California – Proposition 65
In 1986, California voters approved an initiative to address their growing concerns about exposure to toxic chemicals. That initiative became the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, better known by its original name of Proposition 65. Proposition 65 requires the State to publish a list of chemicals known to cause cancer or birth defects or other reproductive harm. This list, which must be updated at least once a year, has grown to include approximately 800 chemicals since it was first published in 1987.
Food Packaging Material / List of Potential Endocrine Disruptors
International Association for Food Protection (IAFP)
Downloadable Allergen Icons
STOP Foodborne Illness
Long-term consequences of food hazards
World Health Organization (WHO)
Health Aspects of Plumbing
Published in 2006 by the World Health Organization and the World Plumbing Council. A description of the processes involved in the design, installation and maintenance of effective plumbing systems and consideration of the microbial, chemical, physical and financial concerns associated with plumbing.
Water Sanitation Hygiene
Rapid assessment of drinking-water quality: A handbook for implementation
Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) water quality guidelines recommend a preventive, risk-based approach to water quality management from source to exposure for the management of microbial hazards.
CFSAN Adverse Event Reporting System (CAERS)
The CFSAN Adverse Event Reporting System (CAERS) is a database that contains information on adverse event and product complaint reports submitted to FDA for foods, dietary supplements, and cosmetics. The database is designed to support CFSAN’s safety surveillance program.
Acrylamide Infonet – Operated by the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
This network functions as a global resource and inventory of ongoing research on acrylamide in food. It includes formal research, surveillance/monitoring and industry investigations, etc. Any interested party may submit information, and it is hoped that government agencies, research institutions, industry and others will share information via the network.
BfR Recommendations on Food Contact Materials
The BfR Recommendations on Food Contact Materials are not legal norms. They do, however, represent the current state of the scientific and technical knowledge for the conditions under which consumer goods made of high polymer substances such as silicones, paper, and rubber meet the requirements of German Food and Feed Code.
Database BfR Recommendations on Food Contact Materials
ifp – Institut für Produktqualität
ifp is an independent and neutral laboratory and competence centre for modern food, feed and pharma analytics.
Codex Alimentarius Commission – General Guidelines on Sampling CAC/GL 50-2004
Codex Methods of Sampling are designed to ensure that fair and valid sampling procedures are used when food is being tested for compliance with a particular Codex commodity standard. The sampling methods are intended for use as international methods designed to avoid or remove difficulties which may be created by diverging legal, administrative and technical approaches to sampling and by diverging interpretation of results of analysis in relation to lots or consignments of foods, in the light of the relevant provision(s) of the applicable Codex standard.
FDA – Supporting Document for Guidance Levels for Radionuclides in Domestic and Imported Foods
FDA has adopted guidance levels for radionuclide activity concentration established in the 1998 FDA document in a Compliance Policy Guide (CPG) entitled “Guidance Levels for Radionuclides in Domestic and Imported Foods.” FDA uses guidance levels for radionuclide activity concentration in food to help determine whether domestic food in interstate commerce or food offered for import into the United States presents a safety concern. The purpose of this supporting document is to present information taken from the 1998 FDA document that explains the basis for the guidance levels in the CPG
FDA – Safe Practices for Food Processes
On September 30, 1998, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) signed a five-year contract with the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) for IFT to provide scientific review and analysis of issues in food safety, food processing and human health
FDA – Foodborne Illness and Contaminants
This section provides information on preventing foodborne illness and reducing health risks associated with chemical contaminants, pesticides, natural toxins, and metals.
Seafood Network Information Center / Seafood NIC
One of the world’s first seafood technology network information centers, SeafoodNIC,is a portal to Internet resources addressing seafood safety and quality information needs of seafood processors, inspectors, researchers, importers, and food educators.
The Seafood Network Information Center (SeafoodNIC) was launched in 1997 by Robert J. Price, Ph.D. and Pamela Tom, M.S. who worked for the seafood technology unit of the University of California Sea Grant Extension Program in cooperation with California Sea Grant College Program University of California, Davis Department of Food Science and Technology; and the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources. It was transferred to Christina A. Mireles DeWitt, Ph.D. in 2013 who works at the OSU Seafood Laboratory housed in the Seafood Research and Education Center in Astoria, OR.
Compendium of Fish and Fishery Product Processes, Hazards, and Controls
FDA – Everything added to food in the United States (EAFUS)
The EAFUS list of substances contains ingredients added directly to food that FDA has either approved as food additives or listed or affirmed as GRAS. Nevertheless, it contains only a partial list of all food ingredients that may in fact be lawfully added to food, because under federal law some ingredients may be added to food under a GRAS determination made independently from the FDA. The list contains many, but not all, of the substances subject to independent GRAS determinations
FDA – Risk and Safety Assessments
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses risk analysis, a concept and framework fostered by the World Health Organization, to ensure that regulatory decisions about foods are science-based and transparent.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – Pesticides
This page focuses on public health problems caused by pests and the role that preventive measures and pesticides may play in protecting people from these health problems.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – Tolerances
Regulation 40 CFR 180 – Tolerances and Exemptions for Pesticide Chemical Residues in Food
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIH) – Pesticides
A pesticide is any substance used to kill, repel, or control certain forms of plant or animal life that are considered to be pests. Pesticides include herbicides for destroying weeds and other unwanted vegetation, insecticides for controlling a wide variety of insects, fungicides used to prevent the growth of molds and mildew, disinfectants for preventing the spread of bacteria, and compounds used to control mice and rats. Because of the widespread use of agricultural chemicals in food production, people are exposed to low levels of pesticide residues through their diets. Scientists do not yet have a clear understanding of the health effects of these pesticide residues.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) – MRL Calculator
The mission of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is to promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world.
FDA – Chemical, Metals, Natural Toxins & Pesticides Guidance Documents & Regulations
FDA – Sanitation & Transportation Guidance Documents & Regulatory Information
National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) / Interactive Displays
Antimicrobial resistance is extremely complex and driven by many factors. In general, it is difficult to draw meaningful conclusions by comparing just one year to another. Instead, it is best to look for patterns that emerge over several years. Data available in NARMS Now will be updated on a rolling basis beginning with 2018 data. NARMS human isolate data are available only from states that have given CDC permission to share it; however aggregate data from all states are included in the total counts in tables, graphs, and maps in the interactive displays.
US National Instituet of Health / National Center for Biotecnology Information / PUBCHEM
Quickly find chemical information from authoritative sources
EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) – Integrated Risk Information System
EPA’s mission is to protect human health and the environment. EPA’s IRIS Program supports this mission by identifying and characterizing the health hazards of chemicals found in the environment. Each IRIS assessment can cover a chemical, a group of related chemicals, or a complex mixture.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – A-Z Index for Foodborne Illness
List of Foodborne Illness Causing Agents
Allergens
FDA – Food Allergens and Gluten-Free Guidance Documents & Regulatory Information
Food allergies are a significant public health concern with allergic reactions varying in severity from gastrointestinal disturbances and skin irritations, to anaphylaxis, anaphylactic shock and death. Consumers with allergies must avoid food with allergenic materials to prevent serious health consequences since there is no cure.
Allergen Bureau – Voluntary Incidental Trace Allergen Labelling (VITAL)
Is a standardised allergen risk assessment process for food industry.
Allergen Bureau – Food Industry Guide to the Voluntary Incidental Trace Allergen Labelling (VITAL) Program
has been developed to provide a risk based methodology for food producers to use in assessing the impact of allergen cross contact and provide appropriate precautionary allergen labelling. Application of this approach aims to avoid indiscriminate use of precautionary labelling and thereby preserve its value as a risk management tool. It will therefore contribute to minimising risk while communicating effectively to allergic consumers.
250K – An Allergy Awareness Project
Information about allergens for teens and their parents
1.3.- Preliminary Steps
These steps are the ones that will allow you to focus on the hazards applicable to your products. These steps will “set a fence” around what will be covered under the HACCP Program. Having trained personnel (HACCP Team) is critical for the effectiveness of the program. Your can also search for more information about this topic by reading the guidance in the NACMCF or the Codex HACCP Guidelines, both links available in this page.
University of Florida
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) – Getting Started, Preliminary Steps
1.4.- Food Safety Principles
This section contains links to information on the food safety principles based on the HACCP methodology. There are seven food safety principles:
1) Hazard analysis.
2) Identification of steps where “high risk” hazards will be controlled.
3) Determine criteria, parameters or values to define when a hazard is under control.
4) Establish monitoring procedures.
5) Develop activities to fix deviations and prevent their reoccurrence.
6) Develop procedures to verify the monitoring procedures were follow as written and the criteria defined in step 3 was within limits.
7) Establish a system to maintain records used for recording the results of all previous activities.
Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Food
Guidance for Industry (August 2016 Draft Document)
HACCP Methodology
Validation
Hazards and risk assessment
Statistical Analysis and Root Cause
European Comission / Knowledge Centre for Food Fraud and Quality
Food Fraud Summary Reports
The Food Fraud Monthly Report is drafted by the JRC Geel Unit F.4 “Fraud Detection and Prevention” with the support of the JRC Ispra Unit I.3 “Text and Data Mining”.
2.- Government Agencies and other Guidances
We are grouping here links to sources of information from goverment and international guidances.
United States of America
FoodSafety.gov
Gateway to federal food safety information (USA).
Facebook page of the federal food safety information
United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
The FDA is a scientific regulatory agency responsible for the safety of the nation’s domestically produced and imported foods, cosmetics, drugs, biologics, medical devices, and radiological products.
FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN)
CFSAN, in conjunction with the Agency’s field staff, is responsible for promoting and protecting the public’s health by ensuring that the nation’s food supply is safe, sanitary, wholesome, and honestly labeled, and that cosmetic products are safe and properly labeled.
FDA – Determining the Regulatory Status of a Food Ingredient
Any substance that is reasonably expected to become a component of food is a food additive that is subject to premarket approval by FDA, unless the substance is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) among experts qualified by scientific training and experience to evaluate its safety under the conditions of its intended use, or meets one of the other exclusions from the food additive definition in section 201(s) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). Any food additive that is intended to have a technical effect in the food is deemed unsafe unless it either conforms to the terms of a regulation prescribing its use or to an exemption for investigational use. Otherwise, in accordance with section 409 of the Act, the substance is deemed an unsafe food additive. Any food that contains an unsafe food additive is adulterated under section 402(a)(2)(C) of the FFDCA.
Federal Register notices issued by the Center for Veterinary Medicine
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
The US Department of Agriculture provides leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, nutrition, and related issues based on public policy, the best available science, and effective management. The USDA is made up of 29 agencies and offices with nearly 100,000 employees who serve the American people at more than 4,500 locations across the country and abroad. USDA is involved in managing changes as related to many areas of food processing and food distribution. From the inspection of domestic product, imports, and exports; conducting risk assessments; and educating the public about the importance of food safety.
USDA Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS)
USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) ensures that our nation’s meat, poultry and processed egg supply is wholesome, safe and properly labeled. Through prevention-based policies and practices USDA is meeting the foodborne challenges of the 21st century head on and using science to craft the best ways forward.
Food Protection and Defense Institute – FoodSHIELD
Collaboration among federal regulatory agencies on food protection and defense.
National Center for Biotechnology Information (US) – Educational Resources
NCBI creates a variety of educational products including courses, workshops, webinars, training materials and documentation. NCBI educational events are free and open to everyone. All NCBI educational materials are available for anyone to re-use and distribute.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Health – National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
NIAID conducts and supports basic and applied research to better understand, treat, and ultimately prevent infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases.
US Department of Labor
Occupational Health and Safety Administration
Environmental Protection Agency
EPA was established on December 2, 1970 to consolidate in one agency a variety of federal research, monitoring, standard-setting and enforcement activities to ensure environmental protection. Since its inception, EPA has been working for a cleaner, healthier environment for the American people.
US Department of Justice
Consumer Protection Branch
Current and Recent Cases (Prosecution)
US Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Marketing Services
Organic Integrity Database
Find a specific certified organic farm or business, or search for an operation with specific characteristics. Listings come from USDA-Accredited Certifying Agents. Historical Annual Lists of Certified Organic Operations and monthly snapshots of the full data set are available for download on the Data History page. Only certified operations can sell, label or represent products as organic, unless exempt or excluded from certification.
Law & Regulation
United States Code (USC)
The United States Code is a consolidation and codification by subject matter of the general and permanent laws of the United States. It is prepared by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the United States House of Representatives.
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) (Electronic) – Title 21 – Food and Drugs
Current USA regulations for food and drugs.
FDA – Food Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) – “A focus on food safety” (This is the last revision to the regulation)
21 CFR 110 Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) (Old source of GMPS – The current source is in 21 CFR 117, Subpart B)
(This regulation will be replaced by 21 CFR 117, Subpart B progressively between 9/18/2016 and 9/18/2018 depending on the annual sales and number of employees working at each facility)
FDA – FSMA webpage
21 CFR 9 – Animals and Animal Products
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – Sweage Sludge, Pathogen and Vector Attraction
Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act
21 CFR 165.110 Subpart B—Requirements for Specific Standardized Beverages
Bottled Water regulation
21 CFR 129 Processing and Bottling of Bottled Drinking Water
Requirements for the bottling of drinking water
EPA – Subchapter XII—Safety of Public Water Systems
21 CFR 225 – Current Good Manufacturing Practice for Medicated Feed
The provisions of this part set forth the criteria for determining whether the manufacture of a medicated feed is in compliance with current good manufacturing practice. These regulations shall apply to all types of facilities and equipment used in the production of medicated feeds, and they shall also govern those instances in which failure to adhere to the regulations has caused nonmedicated feeds that are manufactured, processed, packed, or held to be adulterated
21 CFR 1250 – Interstate Conveyance Sanitation
Establishment, Maintenance, and Availability of Records
21 CFR 1, Subpart J
Proposed Rule (To modify Subpart J)
FDA – Reportable Food Registry – The Safety Reporting Portal
The Safety Reporting Portal (SRP) streamlines the process of reporting product safety issues to the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Whatever your role, (manufacturer, health care professional, researcher, public health official, or concerned citizen), when you submit a safety report through this Portal, you make a vital contribution to the safety of America’s food supply, medicines, and other products that touch us all.
FDA – FSMA Inflation Adjusted Cut-Off
Several FSMA rules have provisions in which a value is adjusted for inflation and averaged over 3 years. We provide the values based on Price Deflators for Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the average for the most recent 3 years for the applicable rules below. The GDP deflator is not a static number, and changes monthly. We intend to update the values at the beginning of April each year.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – Agriculture: Laws and Regulations that Apply to Your Agricultural Operation by Farm Activity
This is a general description of EPA’s requirements, and should only be used as a guide. Since rules and regulations may change, use this information as a starting place to determine which regulations apply to your agricultural operation.
USDA – Bioengineered Foods Regulation
The Standard defines bioengineered foods as those that contain detectable genetic material that has been modified through certain lab techniques and cannot be created through conventional breeding or found in nature. The implementation date of the Standard is January 1, 2020, except for small food manufacturers, whose implementation date is January 1, 2021. The mandatory compliance date is January 1, 2022. Regulated entities may voluntarily comply with the Standard until December 31, 2021.
USDA/FSIS Related Documents for FSIS Directive 7120.1 – Safe and Suitable Ingredients used in the Production of Meat, Poultry, and Egg Products
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) share an ingredient approval process. FDA determines the safety of substances and prescribes safe conditions of use. FSIS determines the efficacy and suitability of food ingredients in meat, poultry, and egg products. During FSIS’s suitability determinations, we assess the effectiveness of the ingredient in performing the intended purpose of use. We also review to assure that the conditions of use do not result in an adulterated product, or one that misleads the consumer. Once a safety and suitability determination is made for use of a substance, it is added to FSIS Directive 7120.1. This directive provides inspection program personnel with an up-to-date list of substances that may be used in the production of meat, poultry, and egg products.
FDA – Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods
The FDA final rule on Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods (Food Traceability Final Rule) establishes traceability recordkeeping requirements, beyond those in existing regulations, for persons who manufacture, process, pack, or hold foods included on the Food Traceability List (FTL). The final rule is a key component of FDA’s New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint and implements Section 204(d) of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The new requirements identified in the final rule will allow for faster identification and rapid removal of potentially contaminated food from the market, resulting in fewer foodborne illnesses and/or deaths.
Guidance & Information
Illinois Institute of Technology
Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance – Preventive Controls for Human Food
Developers of the training materials and control over the training sessions of the FSMA requirements.
FSPCA – Preventive Controls for Human Food, Participant Manual (PDF)
Forms suggested for use during the development and implementation of a food safety plan.
Contact to get help on the impementation of a food safety system based on the Law and regulations.
Cornell University / College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Produce Safety Alliance – Produce Safety Rule
Cornell University / College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
National Good Agricultural Practices Program
Cornell University – Good Agricultural Practices
How to Write a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
Cornell University – Institute for Food Safety – Good Manufacturing Practices Part 117 Online Course
This Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Internet Course is designed to review the requirements of Part 117 – Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Food in Title 21 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations. As part of the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), several revisions were made to the Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulation to update and clarify it. The regulation outlines the basic sanitary controls that are required for all food processing plants, wholesale or distribution firms, and warehouses or food storage facilities that handle, store or process FDA regulated food. The course provides the text of each section of this regulation along with an explanation of its intent, examples and strategies for compliance with these requirements, and resources for additional information.
Produce Safety Alliance – General Resource Listing
Resources for the development and implementation of farm food safety plans
Produce Safety Alliance – Trainer Resources
FDA – Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) – Compliance Dates
These are the compliance dates for the rules that form the foundation of the implementation of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The rules are listed in the order in which they became final. (There are no compliance dates for the rule on Accreditation of Third-Party Certification Bodies, which is a voluntary program.)
Other
FDA – How to start a food business
If you are thinking about opening a food business, there are many regulatory requirements that you will need to meet. Some of these requirements apply to all food businesses, and some are specific to the particular food product.
This information provides a cursory overview of regulatory requirements that relate to starting a food business. In addition to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) requirements, your food business will be subject to other federal, state, and local requirements. These will vary depending on the your product and the type of facility you operate. If you are planning to operate a food business, you may want to discuss your specific product and facility with the FDA District Office and the state, local regulatory agencies that have jurisdiction and/or a Consultant with knowledge and experience in food.
FDA – General Navigation Guide for Manufacturers of FDA-Regulated Products
The general navigation guide is provided in the event it may be helpful to companies wondering if their planned activities would be subject to regulation by FDA. The information is a simplified flow chart intended to provide companies a start in contacting a relevant FDA office with questions.
FDA – Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards (MFRPS)
Best practices of a regulatory system.
FDA – Food Compliance Programs (CFSAN)
FDA – Guidance Documents Search
The official FDA Guidance Documents and other regulatory guidance search. This feature is provided to give a convenient way to search for all FDA guidance documents from a single location.
FDA – FSMA Inflation Adjusted Cut Offs
Implicit Price Deflators for Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Several FSMA rules have provisions in which a value is adjusted for inflation and averaged over 3 years. We provide the values based on Price Deflators for Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the average for the most recent 3 years for the applicable rules below. The GDP deflator is not a static number, and changes monthly. We intend to update the values at the end of March each year.
FDA – Accredited Third-Party Certification Program
Accredited Third-Party Certification is a voluntary program in which FDA recognizes “accreditation bodies” that will have the responsibility of accrediting third-party “certification bodies.” The certification bodies will conduct food safety audits and issue certifications of foreign food facilities.
FDA – Supplier Evaluation Resources
FSMA rules require that importers and facilities perform certain risk-based activities to verify that their suppliers are meeting applicable U.S. food safety standards. Under these rules, you must evaluate, among other things, the applicable FDA food safety regulations and information relevant to the supplier’s compliance with those regulations, including whether the supplier is the subject of an FDA warning letter, import alert, or other FDA compliance action related to food safety, and document the evaluation. This link is a list of publically available resources that can be used to meet the requirement set out in these regulations as well as information on their use
FDA – Data Dashboard / FSMA Data Search & Information – Firm/Supplier Evaluation resources
Search the FDA firm and supplier database, which includes the following: compliance information, recalls, import alerts and refusals where applicable.
FDA – Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS)
The Substances Added to Food inventory includes the following types of ingredients regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA):
- Food additives and color additives that are listed in FDA regulations (21 CFR Parts 172, 173 and Parts 73, 74 respectively), and flavoring substances evaluated by FEMA* and JECFA*.
- Generally Recognized as Safe (“GRAS”) substances that are listed in FDA regulations (21 CFR Parts 182 and 184).
- Substances approved for specific uses in foods prior to September 6, 1958, known as prior-sanctioned substances (21 CFR Part 181).
- Substances formerly used:
- Prohibited substances that are listed in FDA regulations (21 CFR Part 189) as prohibited from use in food (labeled as “PROHIBITED” or “PROHIBITED WITH EXCEPTIONS”).
- Delisted color additives in FDA regulations (21 CFR 81.10 and/or 81.30) (labeled as “DELISTED”).
- Some substances “no longer FEMA GRAS”
FDA – Color Additive Status List
This status list, formerly called Appendix A of the Investigations Operations Manual (IOM), provides current information concerning color additives, and will enable you to determine the status and limitations of most color additives likely to be encountered in a food, drug, device, or cosmetic establishment.
FDA – Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) Notification
The inventory of GRAS notices provides information about GRAS notices filed since 1998, when FDA received its first GRAS notice. As of October 17, 2016, the GRAS final rule (81 FR 54960; August 17, 2016) requires a specific format for a GRAS notice. Prior to that date, FDA processed GRAS notices under the framework of the GRAS proposed rule (62 FR 18938; April 17, 1997). Notices received prior to the effective date of the GRAS final rule provide examples for potential notifiers for the types of information that may support a GRAS conclusion. In the inventory, notices follow the requirements for the format and content of a GRAS notice as of the effective date of the GRAS final rule.
FDA – Compendium of Analytical Laboratory Methods for Food and Feed Safety
The intent of this Compendium is to provide access to FDA regulatory methods currently being used for food and feed safety programs, including a searchable archive of validated methods and links to other on-line manuals/compendia of methods.
FDA – Human Food By-Products For Use As Animal Food
This guidance contains information for these facilities to determine what requirements to follow for their human food by-products for use as animal food.
FDA – Preventive Controls for Animal Food – Supply-Chain Program
The purpose of this guidance is to help a receiving facility comply with the requirements of 21 CFR part 507, subpart E of the preventive controls for animal food (PCAF) regulation for establishing and implementing a supply-chain program for its suppliers. This guidance also is intended to help an entity other than the receiving facility conduct certain activities on behalf of a receiving facility, provided that the receiving facility complies with applicable requirements in subpart E to review and assess the entity’s applicable documentation, and document that review and assessment.
FDA – Inspection Guides
These documents are reference material for investigators and other FDA personnel. The documents do not bind FDA and do not confer any rights, privileges, benefits or immunities for or on any person(s). An alternative approach may be used if such an approach satisfies the applicable statutes, regulations or both.
FDA – Inspection Guides – Allergy Inspection Guide
FDA – Inspection Guides – Computerized Systems in Food Processing Industry
Operational since September 9th, 2015. Contact to get help on the interpretation of the LAw and regulations.
Information on training of food industry on the new regulation (2015) for preventing food safety hazards..
FDA – FSMA Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP)
-Recognition of Acceptable Unique Facility Identifier (UFI) for the Foreign Supplier Verification Programs Regulation: Guidance for Industry
This guidance specifies FDA’s current thinking on what unique facility identifier (UFI) FDA recognizes as acceptable for purposes of the Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP) regulation
-Guidance for Industry: Compliance with Providing an Acceptable Unique Facility Identifier for the Foreign Supplier Verification Programs Regulation
This guidance provides information on how you may comply with FDA’s requirement to identify yourself as the importer of a food at entry into the United States under the Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP) regulation. This guidance also provides information on what to do if you are unable to obtain a Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number in time for applicable FSVP compliance date.
FDA – Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food Against Intentional Adulteration: Guidance for Industry
The purpose of this guidance is to help you develop and implement a food defense plan (FDP) in accordance with the IA rule’s requirements. Specifically, this document provides guidance on:
• Understanding the components of an FDP and the importance of each component;
• Understanding how to conduct a vulnerability assessment to identify significant vulnerabilities and actionable process steps;
• Understanding how to identify and implement mitigation strategies for the actionable process steps associated with a facility’s processes;
• Understanding how to identify and apply the mitigation strategies management components (i.e., food defense monitoring, food defense corrective actions, and food defense verification);
• Understanding the reanalysis requirements associated with the FDP;
• Understanding the education, training, and/or experience required for individuals who perform certain activities; and
• Understanding the recordkeeping requirements associated with the FDP and implementation of the FDP.
• Understanding the components of an FDP and the importance of each component;
• Understanding how to conduct a vulnerability assessment to identify significant vulnerabilities and actionable process steps;
• Understanding how to identify and implement mitigation strategies for the actionable process steps associated with a facility’s processes;
• Understanding how to identify and apply the mitigation strategies management components (i.e., food defense monitoring, food defense corrective actions, and food defense verification);
• Understanding the reanalysis requirements associated with the FDP;
• Understanding the education, training, and/or experience required for individuals who perform certain activities; and
• Understanding the recordkeeping requirements associated with the FDP and implementation of the FDP.
FDA – Control of Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-To-Eat Foods: Guidance for Industry Draft Guidance
This guidance is intended for those persons (“you”) who are subject to our regulation, in 21 CFR part 117 (part 117), entitled “Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk- Based Preventive Controls for Human Food” and who manufacture, process, pack, or hold ready-to-eat (RTE) foods
FDA – Completed Peer Reviews
Influential scientific information & highly influential scientific assessments. Scientific information to support the hazard analysis with validated and FDA recognized information.
FDA – Retail Food Protection
More than 3,000 state, local and tribal agencies have primary responsibility to regulate the retail food and foodservice industries in the United States. They are responsible for the inspection and oversight of over 1 million food establishments – restaurants and grocery stores, as well as vending machines, cafeterias, and other outlets in health-care facilities, schools, and correctional facilities. FDA strives to promote the application of science-based food safety principles in retail and foodservice settings to minimize the incidence of foodborne illness.
FDA assists regulatory agencies and the industries they regulate by providing a model Food Code, scientifically-based guidance, training, program evaluation, and technical assistance.
FDA assists regulatory agencies and the industries they regulate by providing a model Food Code, scientifically-based guidance, training, program evaluation, and technical assistance.
FDA – Food Code Reference System
FCRS is a searchable database that contains FDA’s interpretative positions and responses to questions related to the FDA Food Code. It is intended to promote consistent understanding and application of the Food Code and support the FDA’s efforts to prevent foodborne illness through the application of science-based food safety principles in retail and foodservice settings. Questions regarding the use of FCRS should be directed to FDA’s Retail Food Protection Team in FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN). Email: retailfoodprotectionteam@fda.hhs.gov
FDA – Animal Drugs
FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine | FDA Approved Animal Drug Products. Green Book reports and Medicated Feeds
USDA – FSIS Compliance Guideline: Controlling Listeria monocytogenes in Post-lethality Exposed Ready-To-Eat Meat and Poultry Products
This compliance guideline provides specific recommendations that official establishments producing post-lethality exposed ready-to-eat (RTE) meat and poultry product may follow to meet the requirements of 9 CFR part 430, the Listeria Rule. It also provides information on sanitation, testing for Listeria monocytogenes (Lm), and prevention of cross contamination of post-lethality exposed, RTE meat and poultry products.
USDA – Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) – Appendix A: Compliance Guidelines For Meeting Lethality Performance Standards For Certain Meat And Poultry Products
USDA – Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) – Appendix B: Compliance Guidelines for Cooling Heat-Treated Meat and Poultry Products (Stabilization)
USDA – Food Composition Databases
search the database by food item, food group, or manufacturer’s name to find the nutrient information for your food items. You can also generate lists of foods sorted by nutrient content.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Pesticide Chemical Search Database
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), ChemView database: get information on chemical health and safety data
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)
EPA – Selected EPA-registered Disinfectants
The following lists of antimicrobial products registered by the EPA are effective against common pathogens, as indicated in the list titles. EPA-registered antimicrobial products may not make efficacy claims against these pathogens unless the agency has reviewed data to support the claim and approved the claim on the label.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Food Safety
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Health & Outbreaks
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Foodborne Outbreak Tracking and Reporting
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Estimates of Foodborne Illness in the United States
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – National Center for Health Statistics
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Foodborne Germs and Illness
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – A-Z Index of Foodborne Illness
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Foodborne Outbreaks
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Radiation Emergencies
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Foodborne Outbreak Online Database (FOOD)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – CDC Learning Connection (Public health training)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Seafood Inspection Program, U.S. Standards for Grades of Fishery Products
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) oversees fisheries management in the United States. Under authority in the 1946 Agricultural Marketing Act, the NOAA Seafood Inspection Program provides inspection services for fish, shellfish, and fishery products to the industry. The NOAA Seafood Inspection Program is often referred to as the U.S. Department of Commerce (USDC) Seafood Inspection Program and uses marks and documents bearing the USDC moniker.
The National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances
NSF White BookTM – NonFood Compounds Listing Directory
FDA Food Code
The U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) publishes the Food Code, a model that assists food control jurisdictions at all levels of government by providing them with a scientifically sound technical and legal basis for regulating the retail and food service segment of the industry (restaurants and grocery stores and institutions such as nursing homes). Local, state, tribal, and federal regulators use the FDA Food Code as a model to develop or update their own food safety rules and to be consistent with national food regulatory policy. Updated every four years.
Foodborne Illness Outbreak Database
Private database sopnsored by Law offices of Marler-Clark. This database provides summaries of significant food and water related outbreaks occurring since 1984 caused by E. coli, Salmonella, Hepatitis A, Campylobacter and other pathogens. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines an outbreak as “two or more ill persons linked to a common source” and this serves as the basis of outbreakdatabase.com. a searchable database of illness outbreaks caused by one or more of the following:
1) consumption of contaminated foods or beverages,
2) exposure to animals,
3) exposure to contaminated recreational water,
4) person-to-person contact with someone whose illness initiated from animal exposure or consumption of contaminated foods and beverages.
2) exposure to animals,
3) exposure to contaminated recreational water,
4) person-to-person contact with someone whose illness initiated from animal exposure or consumption of contaminated foods and beverages.
Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)
The Center for Science in the Public Interest has been providing advice and advocacy toward a healthier food system since its founding in 1971.
US Department of Justice, Civil Division, Consumer Protection Branch, Food and Dietary Supplements
Offices of the US Attorneys, US Attorneys, Justice 101, Legal Terms Glossary
Office of the Law Revision Counsel, United States Code
FDA Regulates the Safety of Bottled Water Beverages Including Flavored Water and Nutrient-Added Water Beverages
FDA – Bottled Water/Carbonated Soft Drinks
Guidance Documents & Regulatory Information
Guidance for Industry: Bottled Water
Total Coliform and E. coli; Small Entity Compliance Guide
FDA Regulates the Safety of Packaged Ice
packaged ice must be produced according to FDA’s regulation for Current Good Manufacturing Practices in Manufacturing, Packing, or Holding Human Food. This means that ice manufacturers must produce, hold, and transport ice in clean and sanitary conditions, monitor the cleanliness and hygiene of employees, use properly cleaned and maintained equipment, and use water that is safe and sanitary.
FDA – Overview of Food Ingredients
Additives & Colors
US Department of Labor
Occupational Health and Safety Administration
Permissible Exposure Limits
To provide employers, workers, and other interested parties with a list of alternate occupational exposure limits that may serve to better protect workers, OSHA has annotated the existing Z-Tables with other selected occupational exposure limits. OSHA has chosen to present a side-by-side table with the Cal/OSHA PELs, the NIOSH Recommended Exposure Limits (RELs) and the ACGIH® TLVs®s. The tables list air concentration limits, but do not include notations for skin absorption or sensitization.
Permissible Exposure Limits – OSHA Annotated Table Z-1
Permissible Exposure Limits – OSHA Annotated Table Z-2
Permissible Exposure Limits – OSHA Annotated Table Z-2
USDA – HACCP-Based Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
The National Food Service Management Institute (NFSMI) has developed HACCP-based SOPs in conjunction with USDA and FDA. Although the NFSMI SOPs include HACCP-based principles, you should remember that SOPs are only one component of an overall food safety program. These SOPs are available in both Microsoft Word® format (.doc) and Adobe® Acrobat® Portable Document Format (.pdf) and are listed below. Clicking on an SOP will open it in a new window. The full HACCP-Based Standard Operating Procedures document may also be downloaded in its entirety either as a Word document or as a PDF file. Please note that the complete document is extremely large and may take several minutes to download depending on your connection speed.
USDA – Food Product Dating
“Best if Used By” is a type of date you might find on a meat, poultry, or egg product label. Are dates required on these food products? Does it mean the product will be unsafe to use after that date? Here is some background information answering these and other questions about product dating.
USDA / Agricultural Research Service / Food Surveys Research Group / What we eat in America
What We Eat in America (WWEIA) is the dietary intake interview component of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). WWEIA is conducted as a partnership between the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). DHHS is responsible for the sample design and data collection, and USDA is responsible for the survey’s dietary data collection methodology, maintenance of the databases used to code and process the data, and data review and processing. USDA also funds the collection and processing of Day 2 dietary intake data, which are used to develop variance estimates and calculate usual nutrient intakes.
USDA – Food Surveys Research Group: Beltsville, MD
What’s In The Foods You Eat Search Tool, 2019-2020
Based on the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS) used to process and analyze What We Eat in America, NHANES dietary intake data and, underlying food composition data from USDA FoodData Central
Food Categories
FDA Inspections, Compliance, Enforcement, and Criminal Investigations
FDA – Compliance Manuals
FDA – Inspections Database
FDA – Inspections Observations
FDA – Criminal Investigations Case Activity
FDA – ORA FOIA Electronic Reading Room
FDA – Investigations Operations Manual – Inspections Procedures (Instructions for FDA inspectors)
FDA’s Inspection Classification Database (Searchable FDA’s inspections, domestic and worldwide)
FDAs Enforcement Reports
FDA – Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA) – ORA District and Headquarters Recall Coordinators
FDA – Inventory of Effective Food Contact Substance (FCS) Notifications
FDA – Indirect Additives used in Food Contact Surfaces (FCS)
FDA – Defect Level Handbook
FDA – Guidance for Industry: Action Levels for Poisonous or Deleterious Substances in Human Food and Animal Feed
FDA – Compliance Policy Guides – Chapter 5 – Foods, Colors and Cosmetics
FDA Compliance Policy Guide (CPG) Sec. 555.425 Foods, Adulteration Involving hard or sharp foreign objects
FDA – Compliance Policy Guides – Chapter 6 – Veterinary Medicine / Subchapter 660 – Animal Feed
FDA – Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM)
FDA – Pesticide Analytical Manual Volume I (PAM) 3rd Edition
FDA – Elemental Analysis Manual (EAM) for Food and Related Products
FDA – Macroanalytical Procedures Manual (MPM) (Analysis of Defect Action Levels)
FDA – Reportable Food Registry
The Reportable Food Registry (RFR or the Registry) is an electronic portal for Industry to report when there is reasonable probability that an article of food will cause serious adverse health consequences.
FDA – Everything Added to Food in the US (EAFUS)
Administrative, chemical and toxicological information on over 2000 substances directly added to food.
FDA – Investigations Operations Manual (IOM)
The Investigations Operations Manual (IOM) is the primary policy guide for FDA employees who perform field investigational activities in support of the agency’s public health mission. Accordingly, it directs the conduct of all fundamental field investigational activities. Adherence to this manual is paramount to assure quality, consistency, and efficiency in field operations
FDA – Investigations Operations Manual – Chapter 5 – Establishment Inspections
Policies and procedures to perform pplants/establishment inspections
FDA – Inspection Guides
These documents are reference material for investigators and other FDA personnel. The documents do not bind FDA and do not confer any rights, privileges, benefits or immunities for or on any person(s). An alternative approach may be used if such an approach satisfies the applicable statutes, regulations or both.
FDA – Food Defense
FDA – Food Defense Mitigation Strategies Database
Mitigation strategies for already identified vulnerabilities to intentional adulteration of food.
FDA – Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food Against Intentional Adulteration / Small Entity Compliance
This guide was developed to inform domestic and foreign food facilities about the IA rule and how to comply with it. It contains important information that may affect your firm.
Department of Defense
Level I Antiterrorism Awareness Training
Food Defense – Other sources of information
Drinking Water Security and Safety
Sec. 401. Terrorist and Other Intentional Acts.
Global Terrorism Database (GTD)
Is an open-source database including information on terrorist events around the world from 1970 through 2016 (with annual updates planned for the future). Unlike many other event databases, the GTD includes systematic data on domestic as well as international terrorist incidents that have occurred during this time period and now includes more than 170,000 cases.
Department of Homeland Security – Science and Technology Directorate – Terrorism Prevention Research Dashboard
To counter the continually growing and changing threat of violent extremism, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has developed a free and publicly accessible research findings dashboard that hosts more than 1,500 catalogued terrorism prevention and countering violent extremism research documents. This dashboard is an agile, multi‑disciplinary knowledge‑based capability that helps to systematically develop a landscape of the existing research in this topic area across multiple disciplines, including social and behavioral science.
FDA – Industry Resources on the Changes to the Nutrition Facts Label
Here are resources and the most frequently asked questions we have received via our inquiry form and during presentations made to various stakeholder groups. Additional questions will be included in guidance documents under development. This is not an exhaustive list and new questions may be added in the future to address emerging issues and topics that require clarification.
FDA Food Labeling
FDA Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-282 Title II) (FALCPA)
FDA Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 – Questions and Answers
Guidance for Industry: A Food Labeling Guide (6. Ingredient Lists)
The ingredient list on a food label is the listing of each ingredient in descending order of predominance.
FDA – Changes to the Nutrition Facts Label
On May 20, 2016, the FDA announced the new Nutrition Facts label for packaged foods to reflect new scientific information, including the link between diet and chronic diseases such as obesity and heart disease. The new label will make it easier for consumers to make better informed food choices. FDA published the final rules in the Federal Register on May 27, 2016.
FDA – Industry Resources on the Changes to the Nutrition Facts Label
Following are resources and the most frequently asked questions we have received via our inquiry form, and during presentations made to various stakeholder groups. This is not an exhaustive list and new questions may be added in the future to address emerging issues and topics that require clarification.
FDA – Draft Guidance for Industry: Declaration of Added Sugars on Honey, Maple Syrup, and Certain Cranberry Products
The purpose of this draft guidance is to advise food manufacturers of our intent to exercise enforcement discretion related to the use in the Nutrition Facts label of a symbol “†” immediately after the added sugars percent Daily Value information on single ingredient packages and/or containers of pure honey or pure maple syrup and on certain dried cranberry and cranberry juice products that are sweetened with added sugars and that contain total sugars at levels no greater than comparable products with endogenous (inherent) sugars, but no added sugars.
FDA – Guidance for Industry: Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed: List of Products for Each Product Category
The purpose of this guidance is to provide examples of products that belong in each of the product categories included in the tables of Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed (RACCs) per Eating Occasion established in 21 CFR 101.12(b). This guidance will help industry identify the product category to which specific products belong, but is not meant to provide an all-inclusive list of products that are available on the market for each product category.
FDA – Guidance for Industry: Food Labeling: Serving Sizes of Foods That Can Reasonably Be Consumed At One Eating Occasion; Dual-Column Labeling; Updating, Modifying, and Establishing Certain Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed; Serving Size for Breath Mints; and Technical Amendments; Small Entity Compliance Guide
The final rule amends the definition of a single-serving container, requires dual-column labeling for certain containers, updates the tables of Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed (reference amounts, or RACCs), and amends the serving size for breath mints. This guidance document restates in plain language the legal requirements set forth in the rule, and is intended to help small entities comply with the rule established in 21 CFR 101.9 and 101.12.
FDA – Recalls, Outbreaks and Recall Procedures Compliance Manual
FDA – Recalls, Market Withdrawals & Safety Alerts
FDA 101: Product Recalls
21 CFR 7 – Subpart C—Recalls (Including Product Corrections)—Guidance on Policy, Procedures, and Industry Responsibilities
FDA – Archive for Recalls, Market Withdrawals & Safety Alerts
FDA – Regulatory Procedures Manual / Recall Procedures
USDA / FSIS – Recalls
FDA – Registration of food facilities
Access to webpage for registering facilities in the United States of America and overseas.
FDA Juice HACCP
FDA – Final Guidance Document
Standardized Training Curriculum for Application of HACCP Principles to Juice Processing
The purpose of this guidance is to advise juice processors of FDA’s view that the 1st Edition of the Juice HACCP Training Curriculum of the Juice HACCP Alliance (the standardized curriculum) is adequate for use in training individuals to meet the requirements of the juice HACCP regulation in 21 CFR 120.13.
FDA Seafood HACCP
Florida Sea Grant
Seafood Quality and Safety – Seafood HACCP Training Materials
Online Seafood HACCP Alliance Training – Segment 1
Seafood List Search (FDA Acceptable Market Name)
FDA’s Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance (SGR 129)
FDA-Guidance for Industry: HACCP Regulation for Fish and Fishery Products; Questions and Answers for Guidance to Facilitate the Implementation of a HACCP System in Seafood Processing
Association of Food and Drug Officials
Seafood HACCP Alliance
Oregon State University
Seafood Network Information Center
FDA – Seafood Videos
FDA is responsible for ensuring that the nation’s seafood supply, both domestic and imported, is safe, sanitary, wholesome, and honestly labeled. This page provides access to content about seafood, including fish and shellfish, from across the Food section of FDA.gov. Grouped according to target audiences, these links include access to up-to-date consumer information and advice, guidance documents, regulation, and science and research content.
International
International Maximum Residue Level Database (Approved chemicals and limits)
This database contains maximum acceptable levels of pesticides and veterinary drugs in food and agricultural products in the United States, as well as 70 other countries, the European Union and the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
WHO – Data & Statistics
WHO – Food Safety
World Health Organization (WHO) Food Safety Links
WHO – Media centre – Fact sheets
Codex Alimentarius – General Principles of Food Hygiene 2020 (PDF)
Codex Alimentarius Commission – List of Standards
Codex Alimentarius – Codes of Practice
Codex codes of practice – including codes of hygienic practice – define the production, processing, manufacturing, transport and storage practices for individual foods or groups of foods that are considered essential to ensure the safety and suitability of food for consumption. For food hygiene, the basic text is the Codex General Principles of Food Hygiene, which introduces the use of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) food safety management system. A code of practice on the control of the use of veterinary drugs provides general guidance in this area.
Codex Alimentarius – HACCP
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) System and Guidelines for its Application
Codex Alimentarius – Codex Maximum Residue Limits for Pesticides and Extraneous Maximum Residue Limits
This database contains Codex Maximum Residue Limits for Pesticides and Extraneous Maximum Residue Limits adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission up to and including its 42nd Session (July 2019).
Codex Alimentarius – Veterinary Drug Residue in Food Online Database
In the database a user can obtain information on Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) and Risk Management Recommendations (RMRs) for residues of veterinary drugs in foods. The database also allows to search for veterinary drugs within a functional class.
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) – E-Learning Centre
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)
General principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures in matters of food safety
European Food Safety Authority – Publications
European Food Safety Authority – Journal HUB
The EFSA Journal publishes the scientific advice of the European Food Safety Authority which underpins the policies and measures taken to protect European consumers and the environment. The articles published in EFSA Supporting Publications inform the Authority’s scientific assessments or report on scientific events that are organised in the context of its scientific mandate.
Europe’s Food Safety Agencies
European Food Safety Authority – Publications
Safety and healthy work environment training videos (Multicultural)
European Chemical Agency (ECHA) / Registered Substances
European Commission / Food and Feed Safety Alerts (Recalls)
Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF)
Access to European Union Law (EUR-Lex)
The European Union (EU) has its own legal system, whose main rules and principles are laid down in the founding Treaties. The EU can adopt legislative acts, which member countries must comply with and apply.
Official Journal of the European Union
The Official Journal of the European Union (OJ) is the main source of EUR-Lex content. It is published every day from Tuesday to Saturday in the official 24 EU languages.
European Regulations
Approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the labelling, presentation and advertising of foodstuffs
Microbiological Criteria
European Commission – Food Safety
European citizens need to have access to safe and wholesome food of the highest standard.
A series of food incidents in late 1990s drew attention to the need to establish general principles and requirements concerning food and feed law at EU level. Accordingly, the European Commission developed an integrated approach to food safety ‘from farm to fork’, primarily set out in its White paper on food safety. It covers all sectors of the food chain, including feed production, primary production, food processing, storage, transport and retail sale.
A series of food incidents in late 1990s drew attention to the need to establish general principles and requirements concerning food and feed law at EU level. Accordingly, the European Commission developed an integrated approach to food safety ‘from farm to fork’, primarily set out in its White paper on food safety. It covers all sectors of the food chain, including feed production, primary production, food processing, storage, transport and retail sale.
European Chemicals Agency (ECHA)
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is the driving force among regulatory authorities in implementing the EU’s groundbreaking chemicals legislation for the benefit of human health and the environment as well as for innovation and competitiveness.
EFSA – Emerging Risks
The successful identification of emerging risks is at the heart of protecting public health and the environment. By identifying emerging risks in the food chain early, EFSA supports risk managers in anticipating risks and taking effective and timely prevention measures to protect consumers. Identifying emerging risks also helps to improve EFSA’s ability to meet future risk assessment challenges.
EFSA defines an emerging risk as: “A risk resulting from a newly identified hazard to which a significant exposure may occur, or from an unexpected new or increased significant exposure and/or susceptibility to a known hazard.”
Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed – RASFF Portal Search
RASFF enables information to be shared efficiently between its members (EU Member State national food safety authorities, Commission, EFSA, ESA, Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland and Switzerland) and provides a round-the-clock service to ensure that urgent notifications are sent, received and responded to collectively and efficiently. Thanks to RASFF, many food safety risks had been averted before they could have been harmful to European consumers
SSAFE
Global non-profit membership organization incorporated in 2006 to help integrate food safety, animal health and plant health across food supply chains to improve public health and wellbeing
Food Protection and Defense Institute
he Food Protection and Defense Institute (FPDI), formerly known as the National Center for Food Protection and Defense, was officially launched as a Homeland Security Center of Excellence in July 2004 at the University of Minnesota. Developed as a multidisciplinary and action-oriented research consortium, FPDI addresses the vulnerability of the nation’s food system. FPDI takes a comprehensive, farm-to-table view of the food system, encompassing all aspects from primary production through transportation and food processing to retail and food service.
Food Adulteration Incident Registry
Information for this database is compiled through literature and media searches of economically motivated and intentional adulteration incidents in food products since 1980. Sources include: LexisNexis, PubMed, Google, FDA Consumer and FDA recall records, state reports, and the E.U. Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) portal, and the START Global Terrorism Database (http://www.start.umd.edu/gtd/). An incident is defined as a documented, isolated occurrence of adulteration in a single food product or group of associated food products occurring within a defined time frame and with a distinct group of perpetrators. Incidents that are difficult to isolate to a specific time frame and/or group of perpetrators, or with characteristics common to multiple perpetrators, are entered as a single incident. Melamine adulteration of dairy products in China in 2007-2008 is one example.
CFIA – A Step by Step Guide for Preparing a Preventive Control Plan
Developing, implementing and maintaining an effective preventive food safety control system depends on knowledgeable and experienced management and employees working together to identify hazards and control measures.
Guide to the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act and Regulations
Reference Listing of Accepted Construction Materials, Packaging Materials and Non-Food Chemical Products Database
This reference listing has been made available through Canada.ca for reference purposes only. Historically, this reference listing was maintained by the CFIA
List of Contaminants and other Adulterating Substances in Foods
The List of Contaminants and Other Adulterating Substances in Foods is a two-part list setting out the conditions under which certain foods are adulterated.
List of Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for Veterinary Drugs in Foods
This List of MRLs for Veterinary Drugs in Foods sets out the level of residue that could safely remain in the tissue or food product derived from a food-producing animal that has been treated with a veterinary drug. It is incorporated by reference in the Marketing Authorization for Maximum Residue Limits for Veterinary Drugs in Foods.
Food Additives
This section provides information on food additives and their regulation in Canada.
Packaging Materials
The safety of all materials used for packaging foods is controlled under Division 23 of the Food and Drugs Act and Regulations, Section B.23.001 of which prohibits the sale of foods in packages that may impart any substance to the contents which may be harmful to the consumer of the food
Food Safety Alberta
Food Safety Information for Processors
Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure – Food Defense
Food Manufacture Directory
Welcome to the Food Manufacture Directory – the definitive guide to the UK food and drink manufacturing industry.
This specifically designed buyer’s guide enables you to search quickly and easily for suppliers who can provide the products and services that you need.
This specifically designed buyer’s guide enables you to search quickly and easily for suppliers who can provide the products and services that you need.
Ministerio de Sanidad, Servicios Sociales e Igualdad
Propuesta y ejecución de la política del Gobierno en materia de salud, de planificación y asistencia sanitaria y de consumo, así como el ejercicio de las competencias de la Administración General del Estado para asegurar a los ciudadanos el derecho a la protección de la salud.
Agencia Española de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutricion – Etiquetado (Labeling)
Agencia Española de Consumo, Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutricion (AECOSAN)
La Agencia Española de Consumo, Seguridad Alimentaría y Nutrición, Aecosan, integra y desempeña en el marco competencial de la administración general del estado las funciones relacionadas con la promoción y el fomento de los derechos de los consumidores y usuarios en bienes y servicios, así como la seguridad alimentaría y la nutrición saludable.
Sweden – Swedish Food Agency
Food safety agency in Sweden
Federal Register of Regulation
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission – Country of Origin Labeling
Australian Government – “See what you’re getting” (Labeling)
Australian Government – Country of origin food labelling
Food Safety Standards
Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology (AIFST)
AIFST represents thousands of food industry professionals working in all facets of the food industry including food science, food technology, engineering, sensory, new product development, innovation, regulatory, QA, nutrition, microbiology and food safety, as well as those in leadership positions within the academic, industry and private sectors.
Russia’s Food Safety
Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment
Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health
Danish’s Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries
Germany – The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR)
The Institute was set up in November 2002 to strengthen consumer health protection. It is the scientific agency of the Federal Republic of Germany which is responsible for preparing expert reports and opinions on food and feed safety as well as on the safety of substances and products. In this context, the Institute plays an important role in improving consumer protection and food safety.
Agencia Nacional de Vigilancia Sanitaria
Chile’s Ministerio de Salud
Argentina’s Ministerio de Salud
China’s Food and Drug Administration
Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration
Vietnam’s Department of Food and Safety
Vietnam’s Ordinance on Hygiene and Safety of Foodstuff
Vietnam’s Department of Justice, Food Law
Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety
Indonesia’s National Agency of Food and Drug Control
Indonesia’s Food Products e-Registration Web Site
Philippines’ Department of Health
Morocco’s Office National de Securite Sanitaire des Produits Alimentaires
Finnish Food Authority
Food Safety Authority of Ireland
Singapore Food Agency
Colombia – Ministerio de Salud
Normograma sanitario de alimentos y bebidas
The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) is an industry-driven initiative providing thought leadership and guidance on food safety management systems necessary for safety along the supply chain.
Food safety standards benchmarked against GFSI are recognized internationally. Here you’ll find links to those Standards. Also, we’ll try to organize links to other voluntary guidances like Kosher, Halal, Gluten-Free, etc.
Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)
The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) is an industry-driven initiative providing thought leadership and guidance on food safety management systems necessary for safety along the supply chain.
Safe Quality Foods Institute (SQFI)
SQF Certified Suppliers Database
Brand Reputation through Compliance Global Standard (BRCGS)
BRCGS Directory of Certified Suppliers
International Featured Standards (IFS)
ISO 22000 / FSSC 22000
FSSC 22000 Certificate Directory
GlobalGAP
Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
MSC Find a Supplier database
Kosher
Kashrut is the body of Jewish law dealing with what foods we can and cannot eat and how those foods must be prepared and eaten. The word “kosher” can also be used, and often is used, to describe ritual objects that are made in accordance with Jewish law and are fit for ritual use.
Halal
Muslims are permitted to eat “halal” – in other words, foods that are “good” as defined in the Qu’ran. There is little that isn’t permitted, and Muslims can enjoy many foods that are nourishing, wholesome, and tasty. Muslims can eat anything that is not specifically prohibited, or “haram.” This is in the interests of cleanliness and health, and also out of obedience to God.
Gluten-Free
Celiac disease is a serious genetic autoimmune disorder where the ingestion of gluten leads to damage in the small intestine. It is estimated to affect 1 in 100 people worldwide. When people with celiac disease eat gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye and barley), their body mounts an immune response that attacks the small intestine. These attacks lead to damage on the villi, small fingerlike projections that line the small intestine, that promote nutrient absorption. When the villi get damaged, nutrients cannot be absorbed properly into the body. The only treatment currently for celiac disease is a strict, gluten-free diet.
Genetically Modified (GM), Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) or Genetically Engineered
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can be defined as organisms (i.e. plants, animals or microorganisms) in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating and/or natural recombination. GM foods are developed and marketed because there is some perceived advantage either to the producer or consumer of these foods.
FDA – Food from Genetically Engineered Plants
World Health Organization
Food Safety
Non-GMO Project
MIT Technology Review
Why We Will Need Genetically Modified Foods
World Action On Salt and Health (WASH)
Established in 2005 and is a global group with the mission to improve the health of populations throughout the world by achieving a gradual reduction in salt intake. WASH will encourage multi-national food companies to reduce salt in their products and will work with Governments in different countries highlighting the need for a population salt reduction strategy. The overall aim is to bring about a reduction in salt intake throughout the world by reducing the amount of salt in processed foods as well as salt added to cooking, and at the table.
Established in 2005 and is a global group with the mission to improve the health of populations throughout the world by achieving a gradual reduction in salt intake. WASH will encourage multi-national food companies to reduce salt in their products and will work with Governments in different countries highlighting the need for a population salt reduction strategy. The overall aim is to bring about a reduction in salt intake throughout the world by reducing the amount of salt in processed foods as well as salt added to cooking, and at the table.