The safety of food sold at retail in Alabama, and of food, other than red meat and poultry, processed in Alabama, is the responsibility of the environmental staff of the county health departments and of the Division of Food, Milk and Lodging (FML) at the central office.

This Division of Food, Milk and Lodging officially announces rules and regulations affecting safety and sanitation of food, sanitation of lodging facilities, and also issues guidelines for the inspection of prisons and jails. The division administers and enforces sanitation rules for milk and seafood. Rules for establishments, such as restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores, food manufacturing plants, tattoo facilities, hotels and camps are enforced by the county health departments' environmentalists. The Division of Food, Milk and Lodging (FML) includes four branches: Food and Lodging, Seafood, Milk, and Quality Assurance. The FML Division is one of three divisions within the Bureau of Environmental Services.

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National Food Safety Education Month

September is National Food Safety Education Month (NFSEM). NFSEM was created to heighten the awareness about the importance of food safety education. Each year a new theme and free training activities and posters are created for the restaurant and foodservice industry to help reinforce proper food safety practices and procedures. Visit the ServSafe Website for these free materials.