The Council to Improve Foodborne Outbreak Response (CIFOR) released its Guidelines for Foodborne Disease Outbreak Response. The guidelines are targeted to local, state and federal agencies and provide model practices used in foodborne disease outbreaks, including planning, detection, investigation, control and prevention. Local and state agencies vary in their approach to, experience with and capacity to respond to foodborne disease outbreaks.

The guidelines are intended to give all agencies a common foundation from which to work and provide examples of the key activities that should occur during the response to outbreaks of foodborne disease. The guidelines were developed by experts in epidemiology, environmental health, laboratory science and communications.

The guidelines are not intended to replace current procedure manuals for responding to outbreaks. Instead, they are designed as a reference document for comparison with existing procedures; to fill in gaps and update site-specific procedures; to provide models for new procedures where they do not exist; and to provide training to program staff. The document is available in electronic and hard-copy formats for state and local health departments. CIFOR has included a foreword by Dr. Michael Osterholm of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy and Michael Taylor, senior advisor to the FDA Commissioner, two well-respected food safety experts.

CIFOR is a multidisciplinary partnership organized to increase collaboration among food safety officials at all levels of government and in all areas of the country with the ultimate goal of reducing the burden of foodborne illness in the US.

Visit CIFOR’s Web site or download the document.