The Food and Drug Administration has issued revised food safety standards for state regulatory programs that oversee food facilities that manufacture, process, pack or hold foods.
These regulatory program standards, known as the Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards (MFRPS), were first issued by the agency in May 2007. The 2022 changes include updates to defined terms, new job aides, as well as updates to the current standards.
The standards are intended to achieve basic equivalency in food safety standards and laws, and in inspection programs and practices among state and federal regulators. The standards are a critical component in establishing the national Integrated Food Safety System.
The goal of the standards is to implement a nationally integrated, risk-based, food safety system focused on protecting public health. They establish a uniform basis for measuring and improving the performance of prevention, intervention, and response activities of manufactured food regulatory programs in the United States.
The regulatory program standards are comprised of 10 standards designed to protect the public from foodborne illness and injury. These elements include the program’s regulatory foundation, staff training, inspection, quality assurance, food defense preparedness and response, foodborne illness and incident investigation, enforcement, education and outreach, resource management, laboratory resources, and program assessment.
Additional information on the MFRPS 2022 updates, including a downloadable copy of the updated standards, a Summary of Changes to the 2022 MFRPS, and an updated Fact Sheet and Informational Brochure, are available at Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards (MFRP).
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