The U. S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) publishes the Food Code, a model that assists food control jurisdictions at all levels of government by providing them with a scientifically sound technical and legal basis for regulating the retail and food service segment of the industry (restaurants and grocery stores and institutions such as nursing homes).
Effective January 22, 2011, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) requires the “person in charge” in a food service operation to hold a “nationally recognized food protection certificate” such as ServSafe®.