Industry Information

• General Information

  FDA/USDA Food Establishment Disaster Guidance for floods, power outages and other disaster information.
  
  Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition - Constituent Update.
  
  FDA's Oral Culture Learner Project provides materials and methods to help food employees understand the reasons why following proper food safety practices is important to prevent illnesses, deaths, and loss of income and reputation resulting from food-related outbreaks. The materials have been designed for oral culture learners, which research has shown most food employees to be.
  
  Iowa's Food Safety and Protection Task Force videos.
  
  Educational Materials for Retail Food Employees.
  
  Check out Kansas Environmental Health Association for upcoming events.
  
  The Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) promotes public health, fosters uniformity, and establishes partnerships among food regulators, academia, and industry.
  
  AFDO's Mid-Continental affiliate (MCAFDO) serves a seven state region in the Midwest and Southwest.
  
  The Food Defense Plan Builder is a user-friendly software program designed to assist owners and operators of food facilities with developing personalized food defense plans for their facilities. This user-friendly tool harnesses existing FDA tools, guidance, and resources for food defense into one single application.

  
  

• Food Defense

  Go to our Food Defense page to help raise your food defense issues and to find tools to help with food defense preparedness.

• FDA Online Courses on Food Defense

  FDA Offers Free Online Courses on Food Defense

  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has revamped its online food defense courses to help bolster the food industry’s defense measures against an act of intentional food contamination.

  The revamped courses, titled “Food Defense 101,” have been updated to address the types of intentional contamination that have occurred in the United States in recent years and the FDA’s most current thinking on how to forestall or minimize the impact of such incidents. The courses also have been integrated into one module, so users can now more easily find what they are looking for.

  The four courses are: 1) Food Defense Awareness for Professionals; 2) Food Defense Awareness for Frontline Employees; 3) FDA Regulations, which speaks to three federal regulations established to help protect the nation’s food supply; and 4) Alert, for owners and operators of food facilities, to help them protect their facilities from the threat of intentional contamination.
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  Food Defense 101 is available to industry and the public at no charge. For additional information on FDA’s food defense resources, and to access Food Defense 101, please visit http://www.fda.gov/fooddefense.

  
  

• FDA FAQ

  Questions & Answers on the Preventive Controls Proposed Rule

  Questions & Answers on the Produce Safety Proposed Rule

  For more information on FDA's Food Safety Modernization Act, visit http://www.fda.gov/fsma.

  
  

• Food Establishments

  For planning information on starting a food business, see Start a Food Business.
  
  Food Establishments may find employing a manager certified in food protection management helps improve compliance with food safety requirements. The Food Protection Manager Certification programs that are accredited with the Conference for Food Protection (CFP) are listed on the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) website.

  The KDA Food Code gives you the regulations for food service facilities. Food Code changes will give you a quick list of changes that have taken place since the previous years Food Code.
  
  The Kansas Food code allows for variances from food code requirement to be granted if no health hazard or nuisance is created.  In order to request a variance from the Food Code, please complete the Variance Request Form (fillable or non-fillable) and submit it to the Food Safety Program by email (KDA.FSL@ks.gov), fax (785-564-6779), or regular mail.  Please attach any supporting documentation such as lab testing reports or HACCP plans.

  Focus on Food Safety Materials will assist you in giving your food staff the knowledge and training needed to keep food safe.

  Consumer Advisory Assistance assists you with disclosures and table cards necessary to inform your patrons about undercooked animal food.
  
  The Conference for Food Protection (CFP) is a non-profit organization that originated in 1971. The structure of the Conference provides a representative and equitable partnership among regulators, industry, academia, professional organizations and consumers to identify problems, formulate recommendations, and develop and implement practices that ensure food safety. New rapidly-developing food technologies and marketing innovations challenge all groups involved in food production and monitoring to work together to enhance the quality of our food supply. The Conference for Food Protection meets at least biennially to provide that forum.

• Food Processing and Food Storage

  Visit FDA Food Facility Registration to register your food facility with the FDA to help in protecting the public from terrorist attacks on U.S. food or other food-related emergencies.

  Food manufacturing regulations-Good Manufacturing lists the CFR - Code of Federal Regulations Title 21 for good manufacturing practices in manufacturing, packing, or holding human food. The Good Manufacturing Processes are adopted by reference from the Code of Federal Regulations. They are intended to minimize the hazards that can lead to foodborne illness or injury, thus ensuring safe food and optimal levels of sanitation in food establishments.

  Food allergies can range from merely irritating to life-threatening. For recommendations on how to protect yourself you may visit the FDA Food Allergies reference. 

  The Reportable Food Registry (RFR or the Registry) is an electronic portal for Industry to report when there is reasonable probability that an article of food will cause serious adverse health consequences. The Registry helps the FDA better protect public health by tracking patterns and targeting inspections. The Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007 (Pub. L.110-085), section 1005 directs the FDA to establish a Reportable Food Registry for Industry. The RFR applies to all FDA-regulated categories of food and feed, except dietary supplements and infant formula.
  
  Information about understanding and preventing the development of Salmonella is available from the Grocery Manufacturers Association.

• Farmers' Markets

  Guidelines for Food Sales at Farmers Markets will inform you about food products that are allowed and food products that are not allowed to be sold at the Farmer's Market.
  
  Regulations and Best Practices booklet put together by K-State Research and Extension will provide additional information regarding farmers market questions you may have.
  
  

• K-State Research and Extension Food Safety

  K-State Extension has information for consumers about safe food handling with food preparation, food preservation, food service and more.
  http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/FoodSafety/p.aspx?tabid=1
  
  

• Kansas Value Added Foods Lab

  The Kansas Value Added Foods Lab is an example of an organization that provides technical support for food product development. The Kansas Value Added Foods Lab is not affiliated with the Kansas Department of Agriculture Food Safety program, and there are fees for services.  http://www.ksre.k-state.edu/kvafl/.

• Propane Tank Safety

  Please review this Propane Tanks-Food Truck Operator Awareness Flyer for important propane tank safety information.
  
  Please read the Cylinder Safety Letter from the U.S. Department of Transportation regarding the Philadelphia, PA explosion.  The goal of this letter is to raise awareness of this important safety concern with the mobile food truck industry.
  
  You will also find additional information regarding requalified cylinders by reviewing Is Your Propane Cylinder SAFE? (Spanish) handout.
  
  

• Food Safety Magazine

  Find necessary information regarding the "Do's and Dont's of Food Plant Personal Hygiene Practices."  You will find information relating to clothing, hygiene, equipment, sanitation and training.

• Rodent Management

  The four keys to effectively remove rodents are inspection, sanitation, exclusion, and population reduction. Satisfactory rodent control will not be achieved unless each of these steps is followed.
  
  Rodent Management Trifold

• Equivalent Operating Plan Approval Request for Food Establishments (Not for Food Processors)

  The Kansas Food Code (Code) allows for Code requirements to be met using equivalent operating plans, when approved by KDA, if no health hazard or nuisance is created. In order to request approval for an equivalent operating plan, please complete the Equivalent Operating Plan (formerly Variance) Request Form (fillable) and submit it to the Food Safety Program by email (KDA.FSL@ks.gov), fax (785-564-6779), or regular mail. Please attach any supporting documentation such as lab testing reports or HACCP plans.
  

• Food Protection Task Force

  Food Protection Task Force