The 2026 FDA Food Code
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The FDA Food Code is the model code that states, counties and cities adopt to regulate restaurants, grocery stores and other food businesses. The 2026 edition replaces the 2022 Food Code and its 2024 Supplement. The key temperatures stay the same; the rules on employee illness, gloves, jewelry, cooling, sanitizers and food defense change.
What the Food Code is
FDA publishes the Food Code as a recommendation of the U.S. Public Health Service. It is not a federal requirement until a jurisdiction adopts it. Over the years, all states, hundreds of local jurisdictions and many federal agencies have adopted some edition. Health inspectors check establishments against the code their jurisdiction adopted, and food protection manager exams are built on it.
A short history
| Year | Edition |
|---|---|
| 1934 | The U.S. Public Health Service proposes the first restaurant sanitation regulations. |
| 1976 | Food Service Sanitation Manual, issued as FDA recommendations. |
| 1993 | The first document named the "Food Code" is published. |
| 1995 to 1999 | New editions every two years. |
| 2001 to 2017 | An edition every four years, with a supplement in between. |
| 2022 | FDA moves to even years, after the Conference for Food Protection switched to odd-year meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| 2024 | Supplement to the 2022 Food Code. |
| 2026 | Current edition. It folds in the 2024 Supplement and adds new changes. |
Each new edition folds in the changes from the previous supplement and adds new revisions, with input from regulators, industry, academia and consumers through the Conference for Food Protection.
What changed in the 2026 Food Code
These are the changes that matter most in the kitchen and on the manager exam:
| Topic | What changed | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Employee illness policy | The permit holder must have a written employee illness policy covering symptoms, diagnoses, exclusion, restriction and reinstatement. | 2-501.11 |
| Vomit and diarrhea clean-up | Written clean-up procedures move to a new section on contamination event response. | 2-502.11 |
| Returning to work | 2 negative results from a validated lab test are accepted, not only stool cultures. | 2-201.13 |
| Jewelry | A plain ring is still allowed. A new exception covers a medically necessary device for a person with a disability covered by the ADA. | 2-303.11 |
| Gloves | If approved, a double glove system is allowed: a loose outer glove over a clean inner glove. | 3-304.15 |
| Cooling | New method: food no more than 2 inches deep. The regulator can approve uncovered cooling in a 41°F unit with electronic monitoring. | 3-501.15 |
| Chemical sanitizers | Sanitizers other than chlorine, iodine and quats need at least 75°F, unless the label says otherwise. | 4-501.114 |
| Disinfection | A new part on disinfecting equipment and utensils, plus test kits for disinfecting solutions. | 4-10, 4-302.14 |
| Food defense | The person in charge must know food defense and train employees to report suspicious activity. | 2-102.11, 2-103.11 |
| Food safety management system | A written system is required within 4 years of the regulator adopting the Code. | 8-201.15 |
| Toilet rooms | Every toilet room needs a covered waste receptacle, not only women's rooms. | 5-501.17 |
| Customer containers | Clearer rules for refilling customers' reusable containers. | 3-304.17 |
There are also new definitions (food defense, food safety management system, mobile food establishment and water-based fire protection systems), and commissaries now count as food establishments.
Why following the newest edition matters
- FDA cites an estimated 48 million foodborne illnesses, 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. Each edition is updated with the latest science and outbreak data.
- Outbreaks in food businesses keep tracing back to five risk factors: improper holding temperatures, inadequate cooking, contaminated equipment, food from unsafe sources and poor personal hygiene. The new rules target those factors.
- States adopt new editions over time. A manager who already knows the 2026 rules is ready when their jurisdiction adopts them.
- Exam providers update their exams on their own schedule. Learning the current rules, and knowing what changed, prepares you for either version.
We reviewed every iPrep question against the 2026 FDA Food Code. Explanations cite the 2026 sections, and we added questions on the new rules.
Questions and answers
What is the FDA Food Code?
It is FDA's model code of food safety rules for restaurants, grocery stores and other retail food businesses. It is not federal law: each state, county or city adopts it as its own regulation.
Does the 2026 Food Code already apply in my state?
Not automatically. Each jurisdiction adopts an edition on its own timeline, and some still use older editions. Check with your local health department.
Did cooking or holding temperatures change in 2026?
No. Cooking, holding, cooling and reheating temperatures are the same. The changes are in illness policy, gloves, jewelry, cooling methods, sanitizers, food defense and management systems.
Is iPrep updated for the 2026 Food Code?
Yes. Every question was reviewed against the 2026 FDA Food Code, citations point to the 2026 sections, and new questions cover the new rules.
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