CIFOR Guidelines

Now available in Spanish!

The CIFOR Guidelines for Foodborne Disease Outbreak Response (CIFOR Guidelines) are a comprehensive source of information on foodborne disease investigation and control for local, state, territories, tribes, and federal health agencies. The Guidelines describe:

• Model practices for foodborne disease outbreaks, including preparation, detection, investigation, control and follow-up.
• The roles of key organizations in foodborne disease outbreaks.

The Guidelines incorporate significant changes in the foodborne disease surveillance and outbreak investigation framework since the second edition of the Guidelines was published.

The third edition highlights:

• The implementation of whole genome sequencing, advanced molecular detection and culture-independent diagnostic tests
• The integration of consumer complaint systems with pathogen-specific surveillance
• The importance of sub-cluster investigations and epidemiologic tracebacks
• The importance of environmental assessments
• The importance of after-action reviews
• More coordinated inclusion of communications sections.
• Elimination of CIFOR metrics and better referencing of existing program metrics.

Who should use it:

Any public health practitioner involved in the detection, investigation, control, or prevention of foodborne illness outbreaks.

View and download the CIFOR Guidelines (English/Spanish). Individual chapters include:

• Table of Contents (English/Spanish)
• Chapter 1: The Evolving Challenge of Foodborne Outbreak Response (English/Spanish)
• Chapter 2: Legal Preparedness for the Surveillance and Control of Foodborne Illness Outbreaks (English/Spanish)
• Chapter 3: Planning and Preparation: Building Teams (English/Spanish)
• Chapter 4: Foodborne Disease Surveillance and Outbreak Detection (English/Spanish)
• Chapter 5: Cluster and Outbreak Investigation (English/Spanish)
• Chapter 6: Control Measures and Prevention (English/Spanish)
• Chapter 7: Special Consideration for Multi-Jurisdictional Outbreaks (English/Spanish)
• Chapter 8: Performance Indicators for Foodborne Disease Programs (English/Spanish)