Skip to main content
          Skip to FDA Search
          Skip to in this section menu
          Skip to footer links


U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government

					Here’s how you know
          			Dot gov**The .gov means it’s official.**Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.
							      SSL**The site is secure.** The **https://** ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. 
			U.S. Food and Drug Administration
				
        Search
            Menu
							
						Search FDA
									
									Submit search 
		Featured
							Contact FDA
	                FDA Guidance Documents
	                Recalls, Market Withdrawals and Safety Alerts
	                Press Announcements
	                Warning Letters
	                Advisory Committees
	                En Español

					Products
            Food
							Drugs
							Medical Devices
							Radiation-Emitting Products
							Vaccines, Blood, and Biologics
							Animal and Veterinary
							Cosmetics
							Tobacco ProductsTopics
            About FDA
							Combination Products
							Regulatory Information
							Safety
							Emergency Preparedness
							International Programs
							News and Events
							Training and Continuing Education
							Inspections and Compliance
							Science and ResearchInformation For
            Consumers
	            Patients
	            Industry
	            Health Professionals
	            Federal, State and Local Officials 
 In this section:

                CFSAN Constituent Updates

CFSAN Constituent Updates Home
          Food
          News & Events from CFSAN
          CFSAN Constituent Updates
          FDA Issues 2019 Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program StandardsCFSAN Constituent Updates FDA Issues 2019 Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards
  
  	
    Subscribe to Email Updates
    Share
    Post
    Linkedin

    Email
    PrintConstituent Update

November 14, 2019

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued the 2019 edition of the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards(Retail Program Standards), which define the key elements of an effective retail food regulatory program for state, local, tribal, and territorial food regulatory jurisdictions.

The Retail Program Standards provide recommendations for designing and managing retail food regulatory programs and help regulatory jurisdictions (or other responsible organizations) facilitate more effective inspections, implement foodborne illness prevention strategies, and identify program areas in need of improvement.

The 2019 edition of the Retail Program Standards incorporates changes based on recommendations discussed at the Conference for Food Protection 2018 Biennial Meeting and other minor editorial changes.

These changes include:

A new tool entitled "Quick Reference - Applicable 2017 Food Code Provisions (Risk Factors and Interventions)" added to Standard 6 to assist food regulatory jurisdictions in comparing their  Code risk factors and interventions to the 2017 FDA Food Code.
	Updates to Standard 3 that assists food regulatory jurisdictions in developing and implementing a program policy.
	Clarifications within Standard 8 that assists food regulatory jurisdictions in evaluating conformance within the Self-Assessment/Verification Audit Form (criteria 1-4).
	Updated weblinks within Standard 2: Appendix B-1 Curriculum for Retail Food Safety Inspection Officers to assist food regulatory jurisdictions accessing courses online.The FDA encourages jurisdictions responsible for regulation development or regulatory oversight of retail food establishments that sell, serve, or vend food directly to the public to enroll in the Retail Program Standards. Enrollment in the Retail Program Standards conveys a jurisdiction’s intent to actively use the Retail Program Standards as a tool to assess and improve its retail food regulatory program. If a food regulatory jurisdiction enrolls in the Retail Program Standards, it can also apply for federal funding to further assist their efforts towards strengthening their own program. Enrollment, however, is not necessary to use the worksheets and materials available through the Retail Program Standards.

Information on how to enroll can be found at Administrative Procedures for Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards. A complete list of food regulatory jurisdictions enrolled in the Retail Program Standards is available at Listing of Jurisdictions Enrolled in the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards. The 2019 edition of the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards, along with the Summary of Changes document are available on the FDA’s website. The FDA Retail Food Specialists and officials from the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition can answer questions about the Retail Program Standards at RetailFoodPolicyTeam@fda.hhs.gov.

**For More Information:**

Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards
	Administrative Procedures for Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards
	Listing of Jurisdictions Enrolled in the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards
	FDA Food Code

                                                                                  Content current as of:
      11/14/2019
              
              
Regulated Product(s)
		 Food & BeveragesCFSAN Constituent Updates
 Subscribe to CFSAN Constituent Updates
                        Get email updates delivered to your inbox.
    Enter your email address to subscribe:
 Footer Links
    FDA Archive
          About FDA
          Accessibility
      Visitor Information
          Website Policies / Privacy
          No FEAR Act
          Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
      FOIA
          HHS.gov
          USA.gov
    Contact FDA
      Follow FDA on Facebook
      Follow FDA on X
      Follow FDA on Instagram
      Follow FDA on LinkedIn
      View FDA videos on YouTube
      Subscribe to FDA RSS feeds
    FDA Homepage
    Contact Number
      1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332) Back toTop