21 CFR 117.4 - Qualifications of Individuals Who Manufacture, Process, Pack or Hold Food

What it says

Individuals engaged in manufacturing, processing, packing or holding food, including temporary and seasonal personnel and supervisors, must have the education, training or experience, or a combination, needed to produce clean and safe food. They must receive training in the principles of food hygiene and food safety, including the importance of employee health and hygiene, as appropriate to the food, the facility and the individual's assigned duties. Responsibility for ensuring compliance must be assigned to competent supervisory personnel, and records must document the training.

Paraphrased for plain-language clarity. Always verify against the current published regulation text.

What it means in practice

• Training should match the job, so a line operator, a sanitation worker and a supervisor will need different content.
• Temporary and seasonal workers are covered, so onboarding cannot skip them.
• Training records are part of the evidence that personnel are qualified, so they should show who was trained, on what, and when.

What FDA inspectors look for

• Whether personnel have documented training in food hygiene and food safety.
• Whether supervisors are competent and have assigned responsibility for compliance.
• Whether employees perform their tasks in line with what they were trained to do.

Related regulations