The FDA Food Code Explained: What It Is and the Rules That Matter Most
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Quick answer: the FDA Food Code is the model rulebook for restaurants, grocery stores, and other places that serve food to the public. FDA writes it with input from health departments, industry, and academics through the Conference for Food Protection. It isn't federal law: it becomes law when a state, county, or city adopts it, and nearly every state food agency has adopted some version. Every number on a food handler or food manager exam, from 41°F cold holding to the 2-hour cooling limit, comes from it. The newest edition is the 2026 Food Code, released September 30, 2026; most kitchens are still inspected under the 2022, 2017, or an older edition.
This guide explains how the code works, how to read a section number, and the rules restaurants are inspected on most, with the section number for each so you can look it up.
Which Version Applies to Me?
The one your state or local health department has adopted. FDA publishes a new full edition about every four years (2013, 2017, 2022, and now 2026), sometimes with a supplement in between, but each state decides when to adopt a new one and what to change. FDA's adoption report found that, as of December 31, 2024:
- 7 states had adopted the 2022 edition;
- 24 states were on the 2022 or 2017 edition;
- 36 states were on the 2022, 2017, or 2013 edition.
Several more states have adopted the 2022 edition since: by our October 2026 count, 14 states base their restaurant rules on it. Our Food Code by state table lists the edition for all 50 states and D.C. Your health department's website, or the top of your last inspection report, names the code it enforces. Some states, such as California with its Retail Food Code, write their own law based on the FDA model, so the section numbers differ even when the rules match. Our state-by-state guide links to each state's rules.
The good news for workers and exam takers: the core numbers have barely moved in years. The 2022 and 2026 editions use the same temperatures, times, and sanitizer ranges.
How the Food Code Is Organized
| Chapter | What it covers |
|---|---|
| 1. Purpose and Definitions | What words like "TCS food," "ready-to-eat," and "person in charge" mean |
| 2. Management and Personnel | The person in charge, manager certification, employee illness, handwashing, hygiene |
| 3. Food | Approved sources, receiving, storage, cooking, cooling, holding, date marking, labeling |
| 4. Equipment, Utensils, and Linens | Equipment design, thermometers, warewashing, sanitizing, cleaning frequency |
| 5. Water, Plumbing, and Waste | Water supply, handwashing sinks, plumbing, garbage |
| 6. Physical Facilities | Floors, walls, lighting, ventilation, restrooms, pest control |
| 7. Poisonous or Toxic Materials | Storing and using chemicals, sanitizers, and pesticides |
| 8. Compliance and Enforcement | Plan review, permits, inspections, correction deadlines, HACCP plans |
After the chapters come seven annexes. Two are worth knowing: Annex 3 explains the public health reason behind each rule (useful when you want to know why), and Annex 7 has model forms, including the employee illness forms 1-A, 1-B, and 1-C.
How to read a section number
Take §3-501.16, the hot and cold holding rule:
- 3 is the chapter (Food).
- 3-5 is the part (Limitation of Growth of Organisms of Public Health Concern).
- 3-501 is the subpart (Temperature and Time Control).
- 3-501.16 is the section (Time/Temperature Control for Safety Food, Hot and Cold Holding).
- A citation like §3-501.16(A)(1) points to paragraph (A), subparagraph (1): the 135°F hot holding rule.
Priority, priority foundation, and core items
Every provision carries a risk label that inspectors use, shown in the code as a small P, Pf, or nothing:
| Type | What it means | Examples | Correction deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Priority (P) | Directly prevents or reduces a foodborne illness hazard | Cooking, reheating, cooling, handwashing | During the inspection, or within 72 hours if the inspector agrees |
| Priority foundation (Pf) | Supports a priority item | Training, equipment, record keeping, labeling | During the inspection, or within 10 calendar days if the inspector agrees |
| Core | Everything else | General sanitation, facilities, equipment design, maintenance | By a date the inspector sets, within 90 calendar days |
The deadlines come from §8-405.11 and §8-406.11, and your health department may set its own.
The Rules Restaurants Are Inspected On Most
These rules cover most of what an inspector checks first: the "foodborne illness risk factors" on FDA's model inspection report, plus a few everyday items. Section numbers are from the 2022 edition and are the same in 2026.
| Rule | The requirement | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Certified food protection manager | The person in charge is a certified food protection manager, unless the health department rates the place low risk | §2-102.12 |
| Person in charge on site | A person in charge is present during all hours of operation | §2-101.11 |
| Reporting illness | Employees report vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, sore throat with fever, infected cuts, and diagnoses such as norovirus, hepatitis A, Shigella, E. coli, and Salmonella | §2-201.11 |
| Exclusion | Workers with vomiting or diarrhea stay home, and return after 24 hours without symptoms (stricter rules apply to some diagnoses) | §2-201.12, §2-201.13 |
| Handwashing | At least 20 seconds, with soap, at a handwashing sink | §2-301.12 |
| Hand sink water | At least 85°F | §5-202.12 |
| No bare hands on ready-to-eat food | Use utensils, deli tissue, or single-use gloves | §3-301.11 |
| Receiving cold food | 41°F or below; hot food 135°F or above; frozen food frozen | §3-202.11 |
| Thawing | In the refrigerator, under cold running water (70°F or below), in the microwave and then cooked, or as part of cooking | §3-501.13 |
| Cooking poultry and stuffed foods | 165°F, instantaneous | §3-401.11(A)(3) |
| Cooking ground meats | 155°F for 17 seconds | §3-401.11(A)(2) |
| Cooking fish, whole cuts of meat, and eggs for immediate service | 145°F for 15 seconds | §3-401.11(A)(1) |
| Microwave cooking of raw animal food | 165°F, stirred, covered, and left to stand 2 minutes | §3-401.12 |
| Reheating for hot holding | 165°F for 15 seconds, within 2 hours | §3-403.11 |
| Hot and cold holding | 135°F or above; 41°F or below | §3-501.16 |
| Cooling | 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours; to 41°F within 6 hours total | §3-501.14 |
| Date marking | Ready-to-eat TCS food kept over 24 hours: 7 days at 41°F, day of preparation is day 1 | §3-501.17 |
| Time as a public health control | Up to 4 hours without temperature control, with written procedures, then serve or discard | §3-501.19 |
| Consumer advisory | Menu disclosure and reminder for raw or undercooked animal foods | §3-603.11 |
| Chemical sanitizing | Chlorine 50–99 ppm at 75°F or above (pH 8 or less), quat per label at 75°F or above, iodine 12.5–25 ppm | §4-501.114 |
| Cleaning food-contact surfaces | At least every 4 hours when in use with TCS food | §4-602.11 |
| Food thermometers | Accurate within 2°F | §4-203.11 |
| Chemical storage | Separated from food, and never stored above it | §7-201.11 |
Our one-page cheat sheet puts the numbers on a printable page, and the free food safety log templates turn the holding, cooling, receiving, sanitizer, and thermometer rules into daily checklists. For the written paperwork, see our guides to the employee illness policy, the vomit and diarrhea clean-up procedure, the food safety management system, and our free food safety plan template. To see how inspectors apply all of it, use our restaurant health inspection checklist, for how often to clean what, our kitchen cleaning schedule, and for allergens, our food allergen policy guide.
Key Terms the Code Uses
- TCS food (time/temperature control for safety): food that needs temperature control to keep bacteria from growing, such as meat, dairy, cooked rice and beans, cut melons, cut tomatoes, and cut leafy greens.
- Ready-to-eat food: food that won't be cooked again before it's eaten, which is why bare-hand contact is banned.
- Person in charge: the person present at the establishment who is responsible for operations at that moment, usually a manager or shift lead.
- Conditional employee: someone offered a job pending answers to health questions, who has to report illness just like an employee.
- Active managerial control: the management systems a kitchen uses to control the foodborne illness risk factors, rather than waiting for an inspector to find problems.
For more definitions, see our food safety exam glossary.
Studying the Food Code for an Exam
Food handler and food manager exams are written from the Food Code, but you don't need to read all of it. Manager exams go deeper into the person in charge's duties, employee health, HACCP, and the cooling and holding rules. Start with the numbers above, then test yourself: our free food handler practice test and food manager practice test both explain each answer.
Get certified
Book an accredited food manager exam
Both are ANAB-accredited exams with an online proctor, so you can test from home. Confirm that your health department accepts the exam first; a few places, such as Illinois, also require a course.
- EduClasses (Food Managers Certification)$65 ($25 exam + $40 proctor)Start with EduClasses (paid link)
- 360training (Learn2Serve)$69.99, proctor includedStart with 360training
Prices from the providers' sites, October 1, 2026. We may earn a commission. Read our disclosure.
Prefer to study by ear? "ServSafe Manager Audio Cram," our own audio review from Kanti Press, covers the manager-level material from the 2022 FDA Food Code, whose numbers carry into the 2026 edition.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the FDA Food Code a law?
Not on its own. It's a model code that FDA recommends. It becomes enforceable when a state, county, city, or tribal government adopts it, sometimes with changes. Of the 64 state agencies that oversee restaurants and retail food stores, all but 2 had adopted some version as of 2024.
What is the latest version of the FDA Food Code?
The 2026 Food Code, released September 30, 2026. Before it came the 2022 edition and its December 2024 Supplement. Most states are still enforcing the 2022 edition or an older one.
Where can I download the FDA Food Code?
FDA posts every edition as a free PDF on its Food Code page, along with a summary of changes. You don't need to buy a printed copy.
What is the difference between the FDA Food Code and my state food code?
Your state food code is the law you're inspected under. It's usually based on one edition of the FDA Food Code, but states can add, drop, or change rules, and some use their own section numbers.
How often is the FDA Food Code updated?
A full edition comes out about every four years, after the Conference for Food Protection meets, and FDA sometimes publishes a supplement in between. The last three editions were 2017, 2022, and 2026.
What does the P or Pf next to a rule mean?
P marks a priority item, a rule that directly prevents foodborne illness, such as a cooking temperature. Pf marks a priority foundation item, which supports a priority item, such as having a thermometer or training staff. Unmarked rules are core items.
Bottom Line
The Food Code is where every food safety number comes from. Find out which edition your health department enforces, learn the 20 or so rules above, and keep the records that show you follow them. For what's new, read our summary of the 2026 changes.
Sources
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Food Code 2022: Chapters 1–8 (sections as cited above), the definitions of priority, priority foundation, and core items (§1-201.10), §8-405.11 and §8-406.11 (correction deadlines), and Annexes 3 and 7 — fda.gov.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Food Code 2026 and the Summary of Changes in the 2026 FDA Food Code — fda.gov.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Adoption of the FDA Food Code by State and Territorial Agencies (2024 report) — fda.gov.
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