ABSTRACT
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Food establishment or restaurant inspections are a routine part of the food safety process in the United States and date back to at least the 1930s or 1940s with the first federal food code relating to restaurants (Almanza, Ismail, and Mills, 2002; Food and Drug Administration, 2012). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Code “establishes definitions; sets standards for management and personnel, food operations, and equipment and facilities; and provides for food establishment plan review, permit issuance, inspection, employee restriction, and permit suspension” (FDA, 2009). The FDA Food Code is currently updated every four years with the latest version published in 2009 (as of May 2013). The Food Code is not federal law or regulation, but does represent the best advice for a uniform system of regulation in regards to regulations set up by state and local regulatory agencies for food establishment inspections (FDA, 2009). According to the FDA (2011), 49 out of 50 states have adopted some version of the FDA Food Code. The version of the FDA Food Code used in state regulations depends on the frequency of legislative changes within that state. More specifically, four states had adopted the 1993, 1995 or 1997 (4%) as July 2011. In addition, ten states use the 1999 Food Code (13%), 11 states use the 2001 (38%), 20-one use the 2005 (39%), and three (as well as Puerto Rico) have adopted the 2009 Food Code (2%).
