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The FDA Food Code is the model that shapes food safety rules across the United States — but it becomes law only as each state adopts its own version. Here are the numbers that matter in a cafe, what inspectors look for, and why your state and local health department always have the final say.
Sources checked 2026-07-09 · your local authority always has the final say.
US · the key numbers
FDA Food Code model figures — your state's adopted edition and local amendments always control.
The FDA publishes the Food Code as a model — best-practice food safety regulation for retail food service. It isn't federal law for your cafe: each state (and sometimes county or city) adopts a version, often with amendments, and that adopted version is what your inspector enforces. Two cafes in neighboring states can face meaningfully different rules built on the same model.
That's why the practical advice is always the same: learn the model numbers, then check your state's adopted edition — our state pages link each state's food service program.
The model code's temperature spine, as most states adopt it:
US inspections center on the CDC's five risk factors: food from unsafe sources, inadequate cooking, improper holding temperatures, contaminated equipment, and poor personal hygiene. Temperature logs speak directly to the third — and a person in charge (PIC) who can answer food safety questions is itself a Food Code requirement, with many jurisdictions requiring a certified food protection manager.
Records aren't graded the way UK-style schemes grade them, but they're how a cafe demonstrates active managerial control — and °F logs with corrective actions are the evidence inspectors respond to. ProCafe's US defaults follow the model code (41°F/135°F, editable), with one-tap exports when someone asks.
Common questions
Not directly — it's a model. Your state adopts its own version (often with amendments), and your state or local health department enforces that adopted version. The model numbers are the right starting point, but your state's edition controls.
The model code sets cold holding at 41°F or below and hot holding at 135°F or above for TCS food. Between those is the danger zone, where time is strictly limited.
The Food Code emphasizes active managerial control, and temperature logs are the standard way to demonstrate it — most jurisdictions expect them in practice even where the code doesn't prescribe a format. Time-stamped logs with corrective actions are the credible version.
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Links verified 2026-07-09. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll correct it.
More guides: Who inspects US restaurants
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