The FDA has issued revised food safety standards for state regulatory programs that oversee food facilities that manufacture, process, pack or hold foods. The agency first issued these Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards (MFRPS) in 2007 and updates them every three years. The 2019 changes include updates to defined terms and current standards, and new appendices and job aides.
The regulatory program standards are made up of 10 standards designed to protect the public from foodborne illness and injury, including 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.
The goal of the MFRPS is to implement a nationally integrated, risk-based food safety system focused on protecting public health. The standards are designed to help federal and state programs better direct their regulatory activities toward reducing foodborne illness.