Partner Projects

This page describes projects EHS-Net partners are working on during the 2015–2020 funding cycle. To see success stories and completed tools resulting from EHS-Net, make sure to explore our Success Stories and Funded Partners Tools page.

California

Food Allergen Intervention

The California Department of Public Health is creating an intervention tool to educate food workers, servers, and managers in food service establishments about food allergens and food allergen avoidance practices.

Harris County, Texas

Behavior-Based Food Safety Methods and Tools

Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services is developing behavior-based food safety training methods and tools for small food service establishments that can be integrated into a regulator’s inspection routine. This will help to reduce foodborne illness risk factors and promote best practices.

Minnesota

Cooling Interventions

The Minnesota Department of Health is providing education and training to food service establishments on the cooling requirements outlined in the Minnesota Food Code. Minnesota is also using data loggers to verify whether potentially hazardous foods are cooled within the required time/temperature parameters outlined in the code.

New York

Environmental Sampling Kits

The New York State Department of Health is identifying and developing baseline data regarding collection of environmental samples during foodborne illness outbreak investigations and will develop and disseminate environmental health sampling kits.

New York City

Educational Resources for Operators

The New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) is creating an operational guide for mobile food vending units in 10 languages, designed to help vendors keep staff and customers safe from foodborne illnesses and to avoid common violations. DOHMH is also developing mini food safety lessons, consisting of a script and simple visual component about critical food safety practices that restaurant operators can use during pre-meal meetings with staff.

Consultative Inspections

NYC DOHMH is offering fee-based consultative inspections to provide training tailored to a restaurant’s currently observed practices and violation history.

Rhode Island

Ill Workers

State of Rhode Island Department of Health is surveying food service establishments to assess their knowledge of food safety and food safety culture. It will then deliver a food safety intervention to the establishments.

Allergen Awareness

The department is also assessing food service establishments’ compliance with all three criteria of 2012 Rhode Island allergen awareness law.

Southern Nevada

Social Media Predictors

The Southern Nevada Health District is working on a project to use social media posts to help identify foodborne illness outbreaks in food service establishments.

Tennessee

Survey of Complaint Callers

The Tennessee Department of Health is developing a knowledge, attitude, and perceptions survey for callers to its complaint-based foodborne illness outbreak surveillance system. A Foodborne Illness Complaint Form has been developed and is currently being pilot tested in the Nashville-Davidson Metro Public Health Department and the Mid-Cumberland Region.

Special Food Handling Processes

Tennessee EHS-Net staff has developed a special food processing survey that will be administered randomly via telephone to food service establishment managers in the Nashville-Davidson Metro Public Health Department and Mid-Cumberland Region. This tool will assess the prevalence and characteristics of restaurants performing special food processing to identify possible knowledge gaps and training needs.

Environmental Sampling for Norovirus during Foodborne Outbreaks

Tennessee EHS-Net staff has been conducting environmental sampling for norovirus in food service establishments where a suspected outbreak is occurring. The aim of the study is to develop an improved understanding of where the virus is found and how it is spread.