Foodborne Disease
Control and Prevention
Control of foodborne diseases is based on avoidance of contaminated food, destruction of contaminants, and prevention of further spread of contaminants. Prevention is dependent upon proper cooking and storing practices, and personal hygiene of food handlers. The following references provide information on control and prevention for foodborne disease.
- Abatement Requirements. OSHA, (April 8, 1999). Identifies abatement requirements following inspections resulting from the March 1999 food poisoning outbreak which occurred among garment workers who had eaten at the company cafeteria. OSHA has identified health programs to minimize the risk of outbreaks. This page provides example elements for these programs.
- Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases (DFWED). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). DFWED focuses on the control and prevention of disease, disability, and death caused by foodborne, waterborne, and environmentally transmitted infections.
- National Surveillance of Bacterial Foodborne Illnesses (Enteric Diseases). CDC collects, analyzes, and disseminates national surveillance data on bacterial enteric illnesses in order to provide a national snapshot of the occurrence of infections transmitted commonly through food and other means.
- National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System for Enteric Bacteria (NARMS). NARMS collects information about enteric bacteria from humans, retail meats, and food animals to provide data on emerging antimicrobial resistance.
- Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet). FoodNet is a collaboration between CDC, USDA, FDA, and state health departments that tracks foodborne infections in the U.S. population.
- Foodborne Outbreaks. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Provides outbreak reports and publications, outbreak reporting and report forms, and a outbreak investigation tool kit.
- Food Irradiation: What You Need to Know. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Provides answers to common questions about food irradiation, including a basic description of the process, foodborne diseases prevented with irradiation, effects on food/packaging, and Food and Drug Administration (FDA)/U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approval.
- FDA Food Code. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Guides retail outlets, such as restaurants and grocery stores, and institutions, such as nursing homes, in preventing foodborne illness.
- Food Safety from Farm to Table: A National Food Safety Initiative. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), (May 1997). Provides recommendations for the public and private sectors to minimize the occurrence and consequences of foodborne disease incidents.