CDC’s New Environmental Health Tools to Improve Food Safety

Foodborne illness is a significant problem in the United States, but addressing environmental causes can help prevent it. Explore CDC’s new environmental health tools.

e-Learning on Environmental Assessment of Foodborne Illness Outbreaks

The new, free, interactive e-Learning on Environmental Assessment of Foodborne Illness Outbreaks course has been developed to help you

• Investigate foodborne illness outbreaks as a member of a larger outbreak response team,
• Identify an outbreak’s environmental causes, and
• Recommend appropriate control measures.

National Environmental Assessment Reporting System (NEARS)

By registering for the new National Environmental Assessment Reporting System (NEARS), you can participate in a national effort to systematically collect, analyze, interpret, and disseminate environmental data from foodborne illness outbreak investigations. The system will help prevent foodborne illness outbreaks associated with restaurants and other food venues (such as banquet facilities, schools, and other institutions).

Background

These tools were developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Environmental Health Specialists Network (EHS-Net). EHS-Net was established to contribute to a better understanding of the causes of restaurant-related foodborne illness outbreaks and to translate that understanding into improved prevention practices. For more information about EHS-Net projects, resources, and study findings on restaurant food safety practices, visit the EHS-Net webpage.