2005 FDA Food Code
Adoption of the 2005 FDA Food Code
On April 14, 2007, the Alexandria City Council, by unanimous vote, amended Chapter 2 (“Food and Food Establishments”), Title 11 (“Health, Environmental and Sanitary Regulations”) of the Alexandria City Code by:
- Adopting the 2005 FDA Food Code (replacing the 1999 FDA Food Code);
- Revising the issuance period of food manager certificates from three (3) years to five (5) years from the date of successful completion of an approved exam;
- Requiring mobile food units to post their trade name and phone number on both sides and the back of the unit;
- Requiring mobile food units to conspicuously post their food establishment permit whenever the unit is not in motion;
- Requiring that each food establishment file an annual application for renewal permit; and
- Clarifying that permits are issued on a calendar year basis, and that permit fees are not prorated.
The complete text of the ordinance adopting these changes can be accessed at: http://dockets.alexandriava.gov/fy07/041407ph/di11.pdf.
The above changes make the requirements for Food Manager Certificates in the City of Alexandria and Arlington and Fairfax Counties identical. Adoption of these changes was supported by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington.
What is Different?
The most significant changes from the 1999 to the 2005 Food Code include:
- A revised definition of juice, information on juice treated to control pathogens, and information that addresses issues relating to juice provided to populations that are particularly vulnerable to foodborne illness;
- A revised definition of “highly susceptible populations” and new definitions relating to employee health, including “exclusion” and “restriction”;
- New provisions for the refrigeration and labeling of eggs, consistent with new requirements in the Code of Regulations (CFR);
- Revised criteria for hand sanitizers;
- A revised hot-holding temperature (135º F) requirement for receiving potentially hazardous foods;
- Revised language prohibiting bare hand contact with ready-to-eat food in facilities serving highly susceptible populations;
- A definition for major food allergen that is consistent with the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004. The person in charge of a food establishment must demonstrate knowledge about major food allergens, e.g., milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts (almonds, pecans and walnuts), wheat, peanuts, and soybeans);
- An amended definition of potentially hazardous food, also known as time/temperature control for safety (TCS) food, to reflect those foods that could allow pathogenic microorganism growth or toxic formation;
- Added new controls and operations for reduced oxygen packaging;
- Summarized available resources on food defense and links to useful publications from the FDA, CDC, US Department of Agriculture, and industry groups;
- Refocused date-marking provisions on foods that present a higher risk of contamination. Date-marking is the practice of indicating the date or day by which a ready-to-eat, potentially hazardous food should be consumed, sold, or discarded; and
- Updated Employee Health provisions to include better ways to protect public health, based on new science on those pathogens that are most likely to be transmitted from an infected food worker through food to consumers.
View the Food Code
The complete 2005 FDA Food Code can be accessed at: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/foodcode.html.
Training Resources
Currently, the Alexandria Health Department is not offering any classroom style training on the 2005 FDA Food Code. Please contact your Environmental Health Specialists at (703) 838-4400 ext 266 / 267 to schedule a training inspection.
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