Final answer:
The Food Code is a set of guidelines used to regulate food safety in retail and food service establishments, and can be given legal force by individual state adoption. It helps identify food items causing disease. The FDA enforces multiple laws ensuring product safety and labeling.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Food Code is a model set of guidelines and procedures 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 sector, including restaurants, grocery stores, and institutions such as nursing homes.
The Food Code is not a federal law itself, but it is used by local, state, and federal agencies to develop or update their own food safety rules and is thus instrumental in enforcing food law. While the Food Code provides the framework for food safety regulation, individual states may adopt the code into law, giving it the force of law within those jurisdictions.
When it comes to illnesses associated with food eaten at a restaurant, yes, a particular food item can be identified and associated with the occurrence of disease.
This is typically through a process called outbreak investigation, which includes collecting data from the affected individuals, tracing back the food items consumed, and identifying the potential source of contamination. Foodborne illness outbreaks can often be traced to factors like improper storage temperatures, cross-contamination, or consumption of contaminated ingredients.
Regulatory bodies, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), enforce laws to ensure purity, effectiveness, and truthful labeling of food, drugs, and cosmetics. The FDA is empowered by the United States Congress to enforce the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act as well as other laws such as Section 361 of the Public Health Service Act and associated regulations, which cover enforcement related not only to food but also to drugs, medical devices, and more.