ADVANCEMENT OF THE PRACTICE
Additional Resources About Contributing Factors and Root Causes The Environmental Assessment Training Series (EATS) from CDC provides training on the role of environmental assessments in the broader context of outbreak investigations and the food safety system (Figure 3). This comprehensive training teaches food safety inspectors how to identify the environmental causes of an out- break and how to recommend appropriate con- trol measures. It also o ers practice conduct- ing virtual environmental assessments through simulated exercises, including identifying con- tributing factors that lead to outbreaks. If your program collects environmen- tal assessment data from foodborne illness outbreak investigations, consider joining NEARS—CDC’s surveillance system—to help your program understand outbreaks in your community, take follow-up actions, and more. In addition, NEARS data provide critical information to help improve national food safety e orts. For example, CDC data from retail food establishments found links between manager certification and food safety. These data were used to strengthen kitchen manager certification provisions in the 2017 Food and Drug Administration Food Code . These resources are free and we hope they are useful to environmental health profes-
Additional Resources
Check out these links for more information: • From Inspector to Investigator video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWEywTiX3Sw • Investigation resources for root causes of outbreaks: www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/nears/ root-causes-of-outbreaks.html • Environmental Assessment Training Series (EATS): www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/elearn/eats • National Environmental Assessment Reporting System (NEARS): www.cdc.gov/nceh/ ehs/nears
sionals who seek to improve food safety. The more we know about contributing factors and root causes of outbreaks, the better we can respond with strategies to help address food safety gaps. Corresponding Author: CDR Beth Wittry, Environmental Health Ocer, National Cen- ter for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway, Atlanta, GA 30341. Email: xks5@cdc.gov. References Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Surveillance for foodborne disease outbreaks, United States, 2017: Annual report . U.S. Department of Health and Human Ser- vices. https://www.cdc.gov/fdoss/pdf/2017_ FoodBorneOutbreaks_508.pdf
Holst, M.M., Kramer, A., Hoover, E.R., Dewey-Mattia, D., Mack, J., Hawkins, T., & Brown, L.G. (2023). Characteristics asso- ciated with successful foodborne outbreak investigations involving United States retail food establishments (2014–2016). Epide- miology and Infection , 151 , E78. https://doi. org/10.1017/S0950268823000237 Scallan, E., Hoekstra, R.M., Angulo, F.J., Tauxe, R.V., Widdowson, M.-A., Roy, S.L., Jones, J.L., & Grin, P.M. (2011). Foodborne illness acquired in the United States—Major pathogens. Emerging Infec- tious Diseases , 17 (1), 7–15. https://doi. org/10.3201/eid1701.p11101 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. (2023). Cost estimates of foodborne illnesses . https://www.ers.usda.gov/ data-products/cost-estimates-of-foodborne- illnesses/
The food industry moves fast. The Certified Professional–Food Safety (CP-FS) credential keeps you up-to-date with the rapidly changing food industry and tells your community that you know the science and practice to keep them safe. Learn the requirements: neha.org/cpfs-credential
Did You Know?
You can find a listing of our scheduled webinars at www.neha.org/education/events. We oer a variety of webinars on dierent topics throughout the year. You can also earn continuing education contact hours toward your NEHA credential by attending our webinars.
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Volume 86 • Number 6
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