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Sometimes, major foodborne illness outbreaks, like those involving romaine lettuce over the past few years, grab national attention, but more often than not these outbreaks fly under the radar of the average certified food protection manager. Unwittingly serving ingredients that have been tainted is a real danger in the food industry, so is there any way that CFPMs can keep track of widespread foodborne illness risk?
FDA Tool for CFPMs to Track Outbreaks
Thanks to a recently developed FDA tool, certified food protection managers (CFPMs) can periodically check the latest news regarding widespread outbreaks. This tool makes it easy to find the information you need to know about tainted product that may have been widely distributed. From this chart, you can find:
- Item contaminated
- Investigation status
- Links to advisories
- Whether a recall has been initiated
Just one quick look will tell certified food protection managers if ingredients in their inventory have been subject of an outbreak investigation, and with a few clicks you can even see where the actual product came from and if it’s been recalled.
Besides FDA outbreak and investigation information, you can easily access CDC and FSIS outbreak incidence reports. Before the FDA developed this resource, you’d have to search all three agencies’ sites for all the intel concerning large outbreaks in the United States. Multi-agency information is now conveniently available at certified food protection managers’ fingertips.
Is having easy access to foodborne illness outbreak information something you find helpful in keeping the food you serve safe?