Trying to keep track of all of the different names and acronyms of health, safety and industry organizations and regulators can even give a bowl of alphabet soup a headache. There are a couple organizations that have been thrown around a lot recently that are pretty important and would be working being more aware of: The American Food & Drug Officials (AFDO), The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) & The Body Art Education Alliance (BAEA).

The American Food & Drug Officials (AFDO) is an international, non-profit organization that serves as a meeting ground for industry professionals and regulators to come together and cooperate on sensible regulation that satisfies all the needs. AFDO connects food and medical-products safety stakeholders and impacts the regulatory environment by shaping sound, science-based rules, law, regulations, and sharing best practices that protect public health.

AFDO also created the Body Art Education Committee, which is focused on establishing and upholding better practices in tattooing, permanent makeup, and piercing. identify current issues in body art material manufacturing, labeling and use. The Body Art Committee creates documents that are useful to regulated industries, regulatory agencies and academic institutions, worldwide.

The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) serves the advancement the environmental health and protection professional for the purpose of providing a healthful environment for all. Just over twenty years ago, environmental health professionals and industry experts developed the first NEHA Body Art Model Code. In Spring of 2016 NEHA began working with subject matter experts and national partners to develop an updated Body Art Model Code (BAMC), which was released in the Winter of 2019. The updated BAMC was created with input from environmental health and industry professionals, and addresses the ways body art impacts public health, both old and new. The BAMC will be available for local and state agencies to use as a resource to update their own body art codes.

AFDO created the Body Art Education Committee, which is focused on establishing and upholding better practices in tattooing, permanent makeup, and piercing. identify current issues in body art material manufacturing, labeling and use. The Body Art Committee creates documents that are useful to regulated industries, regulatory agencies and academic institutions, worldwide.

The Body Art Education Alliance (BAEA) is a group of like-minded organizations and individuals dedicated to developing resources and programs to educate regulators, body artists, industry members, and the general public on the practices and policies surrounding body art, body art studios, and body art studio inspections in order to protect public health.

This organizations are critical to the health, safety and education of our industry. For more information on who they are and what they do, visit their sites below.

The American Food & Drug Officials (AFDO)

The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA)

The Body Art Education Alliance (BAEA)