The Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards (Retail Program Standards) define what constitutes a highly effective and responsive program for the regulation of foodservice and retail food establishments. They begin by providing a foundation and system upon which all regulatory programs can build through a continuous improvement process. The Retail Program Standards encourage regulatory agencies to improve and build upon existing programs. Further, they provide a framework designed to accommodate both traditional and emerging approaches to food safety. The Retail Program Standards are intended to reinforce proper sanitation (good retail practices) and operational and environmental prerequisite programs while encouraging regulatory agencies and industry to focus on the factors that cause and contribute to foodborne illness, with the ultimate goal of reducing the occurrence of those factors.

In support of this goal, FDA works cooperatively with our state, local, territorial and tribal partners using a risk-based approach to leverage limited resources. The Retail Program Standards represent an important component of a comprehensive strategic approach to help ensure the safety and security of the food supply at the retail level.

Upcoming Events

FDA Retail Food Protection Training Courses

Registration is now open for the 2021 FDA Retail Food Protection Seminar. The Seminar will be held September 13-16, 2021. Registration is free! This event is open to all interested in retail food safety, including all state, local, territorial and tribal regulators, standardized officers, industry and academia. 
September 13 and 14 will include general sessions for all attendees. Highlights include:

Keynote address on The New Era of Smarter Food Safety from Frank Yiannas, Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response, FDA. 
New funding opportunities for retail food regulatory programs.
Retail Food Safety Regulatory Association Collaborative, challenge studies, the FDA deli risk factor study results, and much more.
On September 15 attendees are invited to participate in one of five breakout sessions. These sessions will provide a great opportunity to connect with your colleagues from the Northeast, Central, Southeast, Pacific or Southwest. If you’ve never attended a local FDA seminar in the past, just pick one that looks interesting and make new connections. Don’t worry about having to decide which breakout to attend. All the sessions at this seminar will be recorded and available for later viewing for one year by all registered attendees on the meeting website. 

Four Retail Flexible Funding Model (RFFM) workshops are scheduled for September 16th. The workshops are designed to help regulatory jurisdictions apply for FDA funding under the RFFM. The workshop schedule is:

1:00 PM ET: How to Create a Comprehensive Strategic Improvement Plan (CSIP)
2:00 PM ET: How to Create a Project Implementation Plan (PIP)
3:00 PM ET: How to use NEHA’s grant portal to submit a grant application
4:00 PM ET: Optional Resources to assist with navigating the RFFM 
To register and learn more, please visit Association of Food and Drug Officials. 

The website functions better in Google Chrome than Internet Explorer. YOU MUST REGISTER EVEN IF YOU DON’T INTEND TO WATCH THE LIVE EVENT BUT WISH TO WATCH RECORDED SESSIONS AT A LATER TIME. You will receive a registration confirmation email shortly after registering. An additional email notification will be sent approximately two weeks prior to the seminar with instructions on accessing the Virtual Meeting Platform. We look forward to meeting with you the week of September 13th. A special thanks to the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) for their assistance managing this event. AFDO will provide certificates of attendance for 16 contact hours.

Please contact your FDA Retail Food Specialists with questions.

Information about the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards (Retail Program Standards)

• Webinar Recording: Two Local Health Departments' Approach to Meeting Standards 3 and 6
  This session focused on Retail Program Standards 3 (Inspection Program Based on HACCP Principles) and 6 (Compliance and Enforcement). Presenters from local jurisdictions described the relationship between the two standards and how they have worked to conform to the Standard requirements, and they shared tips and resources they have learned from the process.
• Impact of the NACCHO Retail Program Standards Mentorship Program on Retail Food Regulatory Programs – Report
• Accomplishments of the FDA and NACCHO Retail Program Standards Mentorship Program – Fact sheet
• Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards November 2019
  This page provides a copy of each standard, along with corresponding forms and worksheets.
• Listing of Jurisdictions Enrolled in the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards January 2022
  This page provides information about jurisdictions that have enrolled in the Retail Program Standards. The information is updated on a quarterly basis to reflect enrollment changes such as new enrollments, as well as to recognize achievements made by current enrollees.
• Crosswalk on Public Health Accreditation and Retail Program Standards
  This document provides an overview of the similarities between the Retail Program Standards and the PHAB accreditation process and details the connections between the criteria that apply within each initiative. The detailed crosswalk provides specific examples of where documentation generated when implementing the Retail Program Standards can be used to satisfy documentation requirements associated with the accreditation process. This document will assist those who pursue conformance with the Retail Program Standards and PHAB Accreditation concurrently, without duplicating resources or effort.

Links to Other Standards

• Egg Regulatory Program Standards (ERPS)
  The Egg Regulatory Program Standards provide a framework for state programs with responsibility for oversight of eggs and egg products. The program standards are designed to integrate the regulatory activities of partner agencies into an efficient and effective process for improving egg safety in the U.S.
• Animal Feed Regulatory Program Standards (AFRPS)
  The feed standards establish a uniform foundation for the design and management of state programs responsible for the regulation of animal feed.
• Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards (MFRPS)
  The Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards are a set of standards developed by the FDA, with input from state program managers, that can be used by the states as a guide for continuous improvement for state food manufacturing programs.

Find Your Specialist

• Directory of FDA Retail Food Specialists

Funding and Grants

• AFDO Cooperative Agreement
• NACCHO Mentorship Program
• FDA/ORA/Office of Partnerships