FDA Food Code 2022 — Pest Control in Correctional Food Service

Citation

U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Food Code 2022 (January 18, 2023 version). Section 6-501.111 “Controlling Pests” and Section 6-202.13 “Insect Control Devices, Design and Installation.” The 2022 Food Code (January 18, 2023 version) is the most recent full edition. FDA issued a Supplement to the 2022 Food Code in November 2024 (December 2024 version), which revises the 2022 text effective upon issuance; it does not alter §6-501.111 or §6-202.13.

Supplement to the 2022 Food Code (FDA, released November 4, 2024; posted PDF “December 2024 Version,” 65 pages): https://www.fda.gov/media/183271/download. The Supplement states that its changes “constitute revisions to the 2022 Food Code effective upon issuance.”

What It Says (Verbatim)

Section 6-501.111 Controlling Pests:

“The PREMISES shall be maintained free of insects, rodents, and other pests. The presence of insects, rodents, and other pests shall be controlled to eliminate their presence on the PREMISES by: (A) Routinely inspecting incoming shipments of FOOD and supplies; (B) Routinely inspecting the PREMISES for evidence of pests; (C) Using methods, if pests are found, such as trapping devices or other means of pest control as specified under §§ 7-202.12, 7-206.12, and 7-206.13; ^Pf and (D) Eliminating harborage conditions.”

Correction (September 12, 2026): an earlier rendering of this text, in the companion Healthcare Pest Reference, gave the second sentence as “controlled to minimize their presence.” The 2022 Food Code says eliminate. That is not a stylistic difference — minimize is a tolerance standard and eliminate is an absolute one, and the change is the whole point of the provision. The opening sentence, “The PREMISES shall be maintained free of insects, rodents, and other pests,” was also missing and was restored. Verified against the FDA Food Code 2022 full document, §6-501.111, held in the primary-source archive shared by both references.

Subsection (C) is designated Pf (Priority Foundation) — a violation severity classification indicating an item that supports, facilitates, or enables one or more priority items.

Section 6-202.13 Insect Control Devices, Design and Installation:

“(A) Insect control devices that are used to electrocute or stun flying insects shall be designed to retain the insect within the device. (B) Insect control devices shall be installed so that: (1) The devices are not located over a FOOD preparation area; and (2) Dead insects and insect fragments are prevented from being impelled onto or falling on exposed FOOD; clean EQUIPMENT, UTENSILS, and LINENS; and unwrapped SINGLE-SERVICE and SINGLE-USE ARTICLES.”

All Section 6-202.13 items are classified as Core items (lowest violation severity classification).

What It Means in Plain Language

The FDA Food Code is the federal model code for retail food establishment regulation. It is not itself directly enforceable at the federal level — it becomes enforceable through state adoption. Per FDA’s 2024 adoption report, 50 of the 51 state-level jurisdictions (the states and DC) have adopted some version of the Food Code — Maryland is the exception, and New York’s restaurant agency has not adopted while its retail-food agency has — and adopted versions range from the 1995 edition through the 2022 edition (with Supplement). Of the territories, Guam, CNMI, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands have adopted; American Samoa has not.

For correctional kitchens there is one direct route already on the record. ICE’s National Detention Standards (Revised 2019), Standard 4.1, Section II.E.2, states: “Food shall be prepared and served in compliance with the most recent version of the FDA food code and/or applicable local standards.” See the related ICE page.

Section 6-501.111 establishes the four-component pest control framework for food service:

1. Routine inspection of incoming shipments — pest exclusion at the receiving point
2. Routine inspection of the premises — ongoing monitoring for pest evidence
3. Pest control methods if pests are found — intervention when activity is detected
4. Elimination of harborage conditions — sanitation and structural exclusion

The Pf (Priority Foundation) designation on subsection (C) means that failure to use appropriate pest control methods when pests are found is a citation-grade violation in any FDA Food Code inspection. Under §8-405.11 a Pf violation is to be corrected at the time of inspection; the regulatory authority may agree to or specify a longer time frame, not to exceed 10 calendar days after the inspection.

Section 6-202.13 governs flying insect control devices (commonly called bug zappers or fly killers). The provisions require devices to retain insects (not throw insect fragments into the environment) and prohibit device installation over food preparation areas.

Who It Applies To

The Food Code becomes enforceable through state adoption, and each state adopts a specific version.

The model definition names institutions. Section 1-201.10(B) defines a “Food establishment” as an operation that “stores, prepares, packages, serves, vends FOOD directly to the CONSUMER, or otherwise provides FOOD for human consumption such as a restaurant; satellite or catered feeding location; catering operation if the operation provides FOOD directly to a CONSUMER or to a conveyance used to transport people; market; vending location; conveyance used to transport people; institution; or FOOD bank.” The definition’s list of exclusions does not name correctional facilities.

Utah. Utah Admin. Code R392-100-4(1)(b) incorporates “the 2022 version of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Food Code,” with the December 2024 Supplement, and Section 6-501.111 is not among the provisions Utah leaves out. The rule’s exemption list, R392-100-3(1), does not name jails or prisons. For secure facilities housing state inmates, Utah Department of Corrections Standard G-05 requires the health authority having jurisdiction to inspect the food service area at least once a year. See the related R392-100 and Utah Correctional Standards pages.

Other states. Whether another state’s adopted code and inspection program reach a jail or prison kitchen depends on that state’s rules and on which agency inspects correctional food service. This page does not assert that for any state other than Utah.

Independently of state adoption, ICE’s detention food service standard directs compliance with the most recent version of the FDA Food Code (NDS 2019 Standard 4.1, Section II.E.2).

Documentation Evidence

Records that show each element of Section 6-501.111 was met:

• Incoming shipment inspection records demonstrating routine review of food and supply deliveries for pest evidence
• Routine premises inspection logs documenting periodic inspection of food service areas for pest activity
• Pest control intervention records demonstrating treatment actions taken when pests are found, including products used, methods, dates, and applicator credentials
• Harborage elimination documentation including structural repair records, sanitation logs, and storage organization standards

For Section 6-202.13:

• Installation records showing insect control device placement away from food preparation areas
• Maintenance records demonstrating device function and insect retention
• Periodic inspection of devices for accumulated insect fragments

How Inspectors Evaluate It

Where a state food inspection program covers a food establishment, the inspector evaluates it against the state-adopted Food Code version. Inspection frequency is set by the adopting state; the model Food Code’s baseline is at least once every 6 months (§8-401.10(A)), with longer intervals permitted under a written risk-based schedule (§8-401.10(B)).

Inspector focus areas under Section 6-501.111:

• Visible pest activity or evidence (droppings, gnaw marks, insect fragments, harborage)
• Inspection records for incoming shipments and routine premises inspection
• Documented pest control intervention when activity has been observed
• Structural and sanitation conditions that constitute pest harborage (clutter, gaps, food residue, standing water)

Confidence Notes

HIGH confidence. Section 6-501.111 and Section 6-202.13 verbatim text was first verified September 12, 2026, and re-verified, with the Section 1-201.10(B) definition, against FDA’s 2022 Food Code PDF on September 24, 2026. The Utah statements were read from R392-100 and the Utah Correctional Standards the same day. Pf (Priority Foundation) and Core classifications verified against FDA Food Code violation severity definitions. The ICE Standard 4.1 quotation was read from the ICE primary source on September 24, 2026.