This week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new research identifying gaps in the education of restaurant workers and in public health surveillance. In particular, researchers found that food preparation and handling practices, worker health policies, and hand-washing practices are among the underlying environmental factors that often are not reported during foodborne outbreaks. The agency believes that increasing the awareness and implementation of correct food safety practices in restaurants and delis could help prevent many foodborne illness outbreaks. “Inspectors have not had a formal system to capture and report the underlying factors that likely contribute to foodborne outbreaks or a way to inform prevention strategies and implement routine corrective measures in restaurants, delis and schools to prevent future outbreaks,” said Carol Selman, head of CDC’s Environmental Health Specialists Network team at the National Center for Environmental Health. Since 2000, CDC has worked with state and local health departments to develop new surveillance and training tools to advance the use of environmental health assessments as a part of foodborne outbreak investigations. One tool is a free, interactive e-Learning course to help state and local health departments identify environmental causes of outbreaks and recommend appropriate controls. Another is the National Voluntary Environmental Assessment Information System (NVEAIS), which gives food venue inspectors a way to track underlying environmental assessment data that describe what events most likely lead to a foodborne outbreak. These data subsequently help CDC and other public health professionals to better understand the primary and underlying causes of an outbreak. The agency plans to debut its new data surveillance system and e-Learning course in early 2014.
The News Desk team at Food Safety News covers breaking developments, regulatory updates, recalls, and key topics shaping food safety today. These articles are produced collaboratively by our editorial staff.
This is part 1 of a 3-part series.
An unlicensed meat producer and poor hygiene at a restaurant played a role in a Salmonella outbreak in an Australian state,
Almost 500 people were sick in a major E. coli outbreak in Germany in 2025, according to recently released figures from a regional State Office for Health and Social Affairs.
The root cause of a large E. coli outbreak in the United Kingdom in 2024 remains unknown with authorities warning a re-emergence is possible.
Almost 300 people fell ill
As part of its enforcement activities, the Food and Drug Administration sends warning letters to entities under its jurisdiction. Some letters are not posted for public view until weeks or
Everything Sprouts LLC of Minneapolis, MN, is recalling three varieties of alfalfa sprouts products because they have been linked to a 15-state outbreak of Shiga toxin producing E. coli
CDC lists the investigation status as open and FDA lists it as ongoing. Case counts and recall lists in this report reflect the federal record as of Aug. 20, 2026.
Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream Inc. is recalling select flavors of Outshine Fruit Bars because of consumer complaints about contamination with glass.
Products affected include Outshine Strawberry, Watermelon, Grape, Tangerine
