A new guide for restaurants and other establishments where food is prepared, on how to protect consumers and help in an investigation when an apparent foodborne illness occurs, has been released by the Council to Improve Foodborne Outbreak Response.

The Council to Improve Foodborne Outbreak Response (CIFOR) has released a new guide for restaurants and other establishments where food is prepared and sold on how best to protect the public and aid in an investigation when an apparent foodborne illness outbreak occurs.

CIFOR is a multidisciplinary and multi-agency collaboration, bringing together experts in epidemiology, environmental health and laboratory science with representatives from the food industry. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is represented on the committee, along with the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The “CIFOR Foodborne Illness Response Guidelines for Owners, Operators and Managers of Food Establishments” is intended to help explain the recommended role for restaurant owners, operators and managers in an investigation of a foodborne illness outbreak, and what they can expect to happen after being notified of an outbreak.

The guidelines also provide a step-by-step approach that companies can adopt during the different phases of an outbreak investigation, including preparing an establishment to respond should an outbreak occur; identifying signs of a potential outbreak; helping government officials to investigate an outbreak, and following up after an outbreak investigation.

To access the guidelines and more information about CIFOR, visit www.cifor.us.