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F. W. REIMERS, H.E. Butt Grocery Co., 5719 Valley Forge, San Antonio, TX 78233

The retail food industry is the last level of control before food is sold for consumption. As such, retailers are held accountable for the safety and quality of food that has been in a food chain stretching back from harvest to receipt at the store and retail sale. Unlike their manufacturing counterparts that may deal exclusively with only a few major commodities, the retailer is faced with dealing with all food commodities sold in a retail store environment. This presents a challenge to both small and large foodservice operations in compliance to Federal and State regulations governing the food they sell, due to the complexity of the regulations involving these major food commodities. The State health departments that regulate the retail foodservice industry primarily use the FDA model food code as the basis for compliance to food safety. The current 1999 FDA Food Code is a complex set of rules and requirements that are broadly interpreted by those State and local health departments that regulate the retail food industry. Additional regulatory agencies, such as the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, may also exercise specific regulatory oversight within meat and poultry operations. Pathogen testing at retail has led to the need for increased understanding by the retailer of their rights and responsibilities under this USDA program. This paper will address the resources available to retailers to assure they are in compliance with the 1999 FDA Food Code as adopted by the State health departments. It will discuss how suppliers, trade associations, academic institutions, the Internet, and agricultural extension service resources can be accessed and used to meet regulatory compliance. Specific sources will be provided.