The CIFOR Industry Guidelines were developed as voluntary guidance for owners, operators, and managers of retail food establishments (“Industry”) to help outline, clarify, and explain Industry’s recommended role in a foodborne illness outbreak investigation. The CIFOR Industry Guidelines are not intended to replace pre-existing company guidelines or local, state, or federal regulations or procedures. Instead, the CIFOR Industry Guidelines are to be used as a reference document to create Industry procedures where none may exist, complement existing procedures to fill gaps and update establishment-specific procedures, and to develop specific training content for staff.
The CIFOR Industry Guidelines provide: (1) step-by-step approaches to important aspects of outbreak response such as preparation, detection, investigation, control, and follow-up; (2) describe key information to assist Industry in understanding what to expect when first notified of potential illnesses; (3) provides tools to help guide Industry through the process; and (4) serve to provide Industry with a better understanding of how efforts to implement recommended and/or required safe food practices on a day-to-day basis can inform and support a foodborne outbreak investigation. By using the Guidelines and its tools, Industry can take an active and educated role in outbreak response and investigation thereby reducing negative health impact to the public and negative economic impact to their businesses.
Contents in the CIFOR Industry Guidelines include both information and tools centered on the following topics:
- Outbreak Investigation Prep —Recommendations
- Food Establishment Self-Assessment
- Media
- Store Closure and Reopening
- Control measures
- Flow Diagram: Guidelines and Tools
- Terms and Definitions
- Tools
Local health departments are invited to utilize and share this resource with owners, operators, and managers of food establishments in your jurisdiction.
[Share the guidelines on social media]:
#DidYouKnow? The CIFOR Industry Guidelines can provide owners, operators, and managers of retail food establishments with step-by-step approaches to important aspects of outbreak response such as preparation, detection, investigation, control, and follow-up. By using the Guidelines and its tools, Industry can now take an active and educated role in outbreak response and investigation and work to reduce negative health impacts to the public as well as a negative economic impact to their businesses! https://cifor.us/products/industry #FoodSafety #CIFORFood
About CIFOR
The Council to Improve Foodborne Outbreak Response (CIFOR) is a multidisciplinary collaboration of national associations and federal agencies whose goal is to improve methods at the local, state, and federal levels to detect, investigate, control, and prevent foodborne disease outbreaks. NACCHO is a founding member of CIFOR. More CIFOR products can be found at www.cifor.us.
