The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued revised food safety standards for state regulatory programs that oversee food facilities that manufacture, process, pack, or hold foods. The regulatory program standards, known as the Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards (MFRPS), were first issued by the agency in May 2007. The 2022 changes include updates to defined terms and new job aides, as well as updates to the current standards.
MFRPS are intended to achieve basic equivalency in food safety standards and laws, and in inspection programs and practices among state and federal regulators. The standards are a critical component in establishing the national Integrated Food Safety System. The goal of MFRPS is to implement a nationally integrated, risk-based food safety system focused on protecting public health. MFRPS establishes a uniform basis for measuring and improving the performance of prevention, intervention, and response activities of manufactured food regulatory programs in the U.S.
MFRPS comprise ten standards designed to protect the public from foodborne illness and injury. The standards include 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.