Food Safety

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture's Food Safety Section administers state laws, rules, and regulations for retail food stores and manufacturing firms processing and storing food products in Tennessee. Our primary goal is to protect the health and economic welfare of our citizens. The Department of Agriculture does not license or inspect restaurants, which are under the jurisdiction of the Tennessee Department of Health.   

Definition of a Food Retail Store

A food retail store in Tennessee includes grocery stores, convenience markets, supermarkets, and similar non-manufacturing establishments where food or food products are offered directly to consumers for off-premises consumption. Under Tennessee compliance standards (Chapter 0080‑04‑09), "food establishments" are divided into:

• Retail food stores, and
• Food service establishments located within retail food stores.

The term food service establishment covers standalone restaurants, cafes, food trucks, and any other places where food is prepared and served directly to the public. These are not covered by the retail food store code but are regulated separately by the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH).

Use the Retail Food Complaint Form for concerns involving grocery stores and similar retail food outlets regulated under the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. For issues involving standalone restaurants and other food service establishments, complaints should be directed to the Tennessee Department of Health.

Definition of a Food Manufacturing Facility

A food manufacturing facility in Tennessee is any non-residential building, kitchen, warehouse, or establishment where food is manufactured, processed, packed, held, or transported for commercial distribution, as defined under Chapter 0080 04 13 of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.

This definition excludes home-based producers operating under the Tennessee Food Freedom Act (T.C.A. § 53 1 118). These kitchen producers are exempt from licensing, permitting, inspection, packaging, and labeling by the Department of Agriculture and any complaints about their products should be directed to the Tennessee Department of Health.

Includes:

• Commercial kitchens: Self-contained, non-residential kitchens used exclusively for food production intended for sale
• Community/shared kitchens: Commercial kitchens shared by multiple parties for manufacturing, processing, or packing food
• Factories and warehouses engaged in commercial food preparation, packing, holding, or distribution

These facilities must be licensed by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture under the Tennessee Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, comply with applicable Good Manufacturing Practices, and undergo periodic inspections. Use this complaint form only for issues involving these licensed and inspected food manufacturing facilities.

Complaints

Our complaint form is intended for concerns involving food retail stores or food manufacturing facilities.

If your complaint involves a restaurant, please contact the Tennessee Department of Health at the following email address: GEH.Health@tn.gov