The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to strengthen food safety in retail environments. The goal of the renewed partnership between the FDA and the CDC is to help reduce the occurrence of foodborne illness in retail and foodservice establishments.

This MOU will help increase the consistency and capacity of retail food protection programs across the country, promote a general culture of food safety, and facilitate continued communication between the FDA and CDC in order to assist state, local, tribal, territorial, and industry partners.

Keeping our nation’s food supply safe requires resources and knowledge from both agencies. The FDA’s collaboration with CDC has helped inform the FDA’s work on the Food Code, which serves as a model for safeguarding public health and ensuring food is unadulterated for consumers. The Food Code, which will celebrate its 30th anniversary next year, provides uniform standards to better ensure compliance; establishes a standardized approach for inspections; and helps protect consumers and industry from potentially devastating health consequences and financial losses.

The FDA has also historically worked with CDC to help control the foodborne illness risk factors for foodborne illness outbreaks in retail settings. This MOU will ensure enhanced continued collaboration on this important work.

By leveraging the collective strengths of both the FDA and CDC through the MOU signed September 21, 2022, the agencies remain committed to reducing the occurrence of foodborne illness in retail and foodservice establishments across the country.