Foodborne Disease

Foodborne Disease Menu Workers' Rights

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.
    • Enteric Diseases Epidemiology Branch. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Innovative public health investigative and consultative groups that identify causes, sources and solutions for bacterial foodborne and diarrheal infections to prevent the disability and death those diseases cause.
  • National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) for Enteric Bacteria. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), (November 2004). NARMS monitors antimicrobial resistance of human enteric bacteria, such as Campylobacter, Salmonella, E. coli, and Shigella.
  • Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Consists of active surveillance for foodborne diseases and related epidemiologic studies designed to help public health officials better understand the epidemiology of foodborne diseases in the United States.
  • 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.