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FIGURE 2. Major regulation entities and compliance in Florida.
As a result, a smaller meal delivery for nonprofit may avoid
this third-party oversight provider.
Potential research questions: The potential research
questions on food safety policy implementation are as follows:
* How does FANOs' size affect compliance with the
Food Code?
* Do FANOs have the pecuniary and human resources
and capital to adhere to the Food Code?
* How do the administrative burdens associated with
compliance affect FANO programmatic outcomes?
* How do advocacy organizations influence the complex
food policy issue arena?
Methodological limitations. The mosaic of governmental
and third-party food safety regulations adds a layer of
administrative tasks that can be time-consuming to navigate.
Figure 2 demonstrates how the variation in regulatory bodies
could mean that the same salad provided in five FANOs on
a single street could be regulated by three different Food
Code versions. This difference matters because of the change
in a Salmonella protocol updated in the 2022 Food Code.
To assess a breakdown in policy implementation related to
a Salmonella outbreak would require the inclusion of one
federal authority, three state authorities (in Florida alone),
third-party certifying bodies, dozens of categories of FANOs,
distributors, and producers. The costs and feasibility of data
collection and analysis make such studies impractical.
CONCLUSION
FANOs have a responsibility to serve their clients and
communities while complying with food safety policy to
protect their health. FANOs are uniquely positioned to
benefit from food safety policies, especially to decrease food
waste produced by their operations and to promote safe
food recovery. Unfortunately, FANOs face a complex and
at times contradictory regulatory landscape that imposes
heavy administrative burdens, which may be especially
burdensome in light of the unique challenges faced by
FANOs. Implementation can only be as accurate as the
worker's knowledge, which may be undermined by factors
such as volunteer turnover, brief instructional opportunities,
and inconsistent inflow and outflow of food products. This
implementation may be overseen by various private and
public regulatory agencies with differing requirements and
associated costs, which increases complexity and may strain
already underresourced nonprofits. Future researchers
should examine current compliance practices and barriers
faced by FANOs. Professionals in the field, such as policymakers
or regulatory bodies, could address the challenges
highlighted by advocating for more cohesive policies that are
less resource intensive or by translating these policies into
practical recommendations for FANOs that address their
unique opportunities and challenges.
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Food Protection Trends - July/August 2024

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