About the Centers

About the Integrated Food Safety Centers of Excellence

The Integrated Food Safety Centers of Excellence build capacity in other health departments by developing and providing online and in-person resources, training, and assistance for foodborne illness surveillance and investigations.

The program was established in 2012 under the authority of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), which was signed into law on January 4, 2011 to improve prevention, surveillance, and response to outbreaks of foodborne illness. In the legislation, CDC is charged with designating Integrated Food Safety Centers of Excellence at state health departments to identify and implement best practices in foodborne disease surveillance and to serve as a resource for public health professionals at state, local, and regional levels.

Center of Excellence Sites

The Centers were chosen through a competitive process in which a panel reviewed and evaluated applications. The review panel scored and ranked the applications and CDC designated the states scoring the highest on their applications as Integrated Food Safety Centers of Excellence. The original five Centers were designated in 2012, and the newest Center, New York, joined the program in 2015 to fill a need in the Northeast. The designated Centers are:

• Colorado
• Florida
• Minnesota
• New York
• Oregon
• Tennessee

Main Activity Areas

With CDC’s support, these Centers work to:

• Strengthen surveillance and outbreak investigations
• Analyze timeliness and effectiveness of responses
• Train public health staff in proven investigation techniques
• Educate future food safety workforce
• Improve capacity of information systems
• Evaluate and communicate best practices

Learn more about the Activity Areas

Products and Services

Products:

The Centers have developed a variety of tools and resources to help other state and local health departments track and respond to cases of foodborne illness. These products include training courses, guidance documents, and templates. Products from all of the Centers are available at no charge at www.coefoodsafetytools.org/

Services:

In addition to the numerous online products created by the Centers, the Integrated Food Safety Centers of Excellence receive funding to assist state and local health departments on a one-on-one basis. Depending on your needs, one of the Centers may be able to visit you in-person or provide consultation remotely. Contact a Center to learn more about the services they offer.

CDC’s Role

CDC supports the Centers by providing funding, subject matter expertise, and technical assistance. Programmatic staff at the CDC coordinate national activities, promote collaboration among the Centers and with other programs, and work to increase awareness of the program.