In the name of food safety, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended that all restaurants and retailers employ certified food protection managers, Nation’s Restaurant News reported.
The recommendation is supported by the National Restaurant Association and the National Council of Chain Restaurants (NCCR) and came on the heels of the results of a 10-year study on retail food risk factors. The study found that when a certified food protection manager was on board, chains had significantly higher compliance levels with food safety practices.
“Some states and localities require certified food protection managers already, and many in the retail industry employ them voluntarily as a matter of good practice. We think it should become common practice,” said Michael Taylor, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for foods.
The agency plans to add a provision requiring restaurants to employ certified food protection managers to a future edition of the federal “FDA Model Food Code.” States, counties and cities are free to reject or adopt parts of all of the Food Code. However, the FDA and industry groups like the NCCR are urging that those policies and guidelines be adopted nationwide.
At this time the FDA reportedly has no timeline for adding a food protection manager provision to the Food Code, but plans to work to that end through the appropriate channels.
