Federal Bureau of Prisons Program Statement 4700.08 — Food Service Manual (Rodent and Insect Control)

Citation

U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Program Statement 4700.08, Food Service Manual, dated May 7, 2026, approved by the Director. Published as a PDF on bop.gov. Read on September 24, 2026. The program statement rescinds 4700.07 (April 8, 2024). Section 17 and Section 18 are in Chapter 11, “Food Safety – Equipment,” on pages 52–53 of the PDF.

What It Says (Verbatim)

Summary of Changes:

“Program Statement Rescinded:”

• “4700.07 Food Service Manual (4/8/2024)”

1. Purpose and Scope:

“This program statement establishes standardized policy and national direction for the management and operation of the Food Service program throughout the Federal Bureau of Prisons (Bureau).”

Among the program objectives in Section 1(a):

“Inmates will be provided with nutritionally adequate meals, prepared and served in a manner that meets established government health and safety codes.”

Chapter 11, Section 17 Waste Handling:

“a. Receptacles. Receptacles for refuse, recyclables, and returnables and for use with materials containing food residue are durable, cleanable, insect- and rodent-resistant, leakproof, and non- absorbent.”

“c. Cleaning Receptacles. Soiled receptacles and waste handling units for refuse, recyclables, and returnables are cleaned as often as necessary to prevent them from developing soil buildup or attracting insects and rodents.”

Chapter 11, Section 18 Physical Facilities, paragraph a (in full):

“a. Rodent and Insect Control. Insects, rodents, and other pests are controlled by:”

• “Routinely inspecting incoming shipments of food and supplies.”
• “Routinely inspecting the department for evidence of pests and reporting findings to the Safety Department.”
• “If pests are found, using methods such as trapping devices or other controls.”
• “Eliminating harborage conditions.”
• “For additional information, refer to the Program Statement National Occupational Safety and Health and/or institutional written plan for pest control.”

Paragraph b:

“b. Insect Control Devices, Design, and Installation. Insect control devices used to electrocute or stun flying insects are designed to keep the insect within the device. They are never installed over a food preparation area or so that dead insects and insect fragments fall on food, equipment, utensils, and linens.”

Paragraph c:

“c. Outer Openings, Protected. Outer openings of Food Service are protected against insects and rodents by:”

• “Filling or closing holes and other gaps along floors, walls, and ceilings.”
• “Closed, tight-fitting windows, or if the windows are kept open, they are screened.”
• “Solid, self-closing, tight-fitting doors, except:”
• “Exterior doors need not be self-closing if they are limited use, i.e., not used except for a designated emergency exit.”
• “If the doors are kept open for deliveries, the openings are protected by air curtains to control flying insects.”

What It Means in Plain Language

Section 18(a) is the FDA Food Code’s pest paragraph, restated as Bureau policy: inspect incoming shipments, inspect the department for evidence of pests, use control methods when pests are found, and eliminate harborage. The Bureau adds one step the Food Code does not have. Findings of pests are reported to the institution’s Safety Department. A pest finding in a federal prison kitchen does not stay in the kitchen.

Section 18(c) sets the exclusion standard for Food Service: gaps along floors, walls, and ceilings filled or closed; windows closed or screened; exterior doors solid, self-closing, and tight-fitting, with air curtains where doors stay open for deliveries.

The manual points beyond itself for the program: the Bureau’s National Occupational Safety and Health program statement, and each institution’s written plan for pest control. The current occupational safety program statement is P1614.01, whose Section 47 requires that written plan, monthly institution-wide inspections, and pesticide application logs.

Who It Applies To

By its own terms: the Food Service program “throughout the Federal Bureau of Prisons (Bureau).” It governs Bureau institutions. It does not govern state prisons, county jails, or ICE facilities.

Documentation Evidence

• Receiving inspection records for incoming food and supplies (18(a))
• Food Service inspection records for evidence of pests, and the reports of findings sent to the Safety Department (18(a))
• Records of control methods used when pests were found (18(a))
• The institution’s written plan for pest control (18(a))
• Exclusion work orders: gaps sealed, screens, door closers, air curtains at delivery doors (18(c))
• Receptacle condition and cleaning records (17(a), 17(c))

Confidence Notes

HIGH confidence. Every quotation was read from the Bureau’s PDF at the source link on September 24, 2026, and checked against a full text extraction. The PDF’s page headers read “4700.08 5/7/2026” on some pages and “4700.08 x/x/2026” on others; the program statement’s cover gives the date as May 7, 2026. The manual names the National Occupational Safety and Health program statement by title only. That document, P1600.14, was rescinded on June 22, 2026 by Program Statement 1614.01, Occupational Safety, whose Section 47 is the Bureau’s pest control requirement. See the related P1614.01 page.