Collaboration
The Integrated Food Safety Centers of Excellence combine academic expertise with public health practice. Through our nationwide network, we help state and local agencies protect public health through a range of collaborative projects.
Explore the collaborative examples below to see how we’ve helped other agencies enhance their food safety programs.
Just‑in‑Time Support Leads to Sampling Success in the Northeast
Seeking targeted guidance on environmental sampling and cleaning strategies, CT DPH contacted the NY Food Safety CoE for a rapid, just‑in‑time consultation. The CoE provided focused recommendations on high‑risk swabbing sites where Listeria can persist or spread, including high‑touch surfaces frequently used across food preparation tasks (such as equipment sink basins, faucet handles, and door handles); equipment and infrastructure that are difficult to clean and sanitize effectively (worn knives, damaged cutting boards, floor drains, pitted concrete); and cleaning tools themselves, including mops, brooms, and brushes.
Using this targeted approach, local CT DPH investigators collected more than 30 environmental samples from the establishment. Two sites — the drain of a three‑bay equipment sink and a mop — tested positive for L. monocytogenes. Whole genome sequencing identified one isolate as a match to the outbreak strain, providing evidence that the establishment’s environment was a likely source of illness for the associated cases.
A Rapid Consult That Changed the Investigation
Aloha, Epi-Ready Team Training Plus Train-the-Trainer
In February 2026, an interdisciplinary team consisting of the Hawai’i State Department of Health (HSDH) and Washington Food Safety Center of Excellence partnered on site in O’ahu to deliver a two-and-a-half-day Epi Ready training to 44 public health professionals from Hawai’i state and local health departments. This activity included a half-day Train-the-Trainer workshop, which provided support to meet the local need to deliver ongoing Epi Ready training across their state, ensuring that public health practitioners statewide are prepared with the expertise to detect and investigate foodborne disease outbreaks. In advance of the course, facilitators from both organizations collaborated to tailor training content to Hawaiʻi’s unique needs. This partnership will continue as both groups refine and adapt materials to strengthen outbreak response training across Hawaiʻi in the years ahead, working to detect and prevent foodborne illness in Hawai’i and beyond.
The effort was well-received, with colleagues from HSDH stating:
Attending the train-the-trainer session allowed us to review the entire training as a small group. At this time, we could discuss organization and presentation of information that was helpful and applicable to our state and identify ways to make the content even more relevant to us. It was a great opportunity to ensure all individuals were on the same page about what did and did not work for our agencies. The train-the-trainer session gave us the confidence to feel like we could put a similar training on that could effectively build on our existing knowledge and encourage collaboration and information-sharing amongst our different teams. -Madison Morita, MPH
The train-the-trainer session provided an opportunity for our foodborne outbreak team to connect as a smaller group. It also helped identify leaders for future trainings. We plan to use what we learned to develop training materials tailored to Hawaii’s local needs, which will strengthen coordination statewide and lead to a more effective foodborne outbreak response. – Catalina Lizárraga, MPH
Reach out to your regional Food Safety CoE to sign-up for an Epi-Ready Train-the-Trainer!
CIFOR Workshop Drives Real Program Change
Strengthening Foodborne Outbreak Response: Kentucky Works with APHL and the TN Food Safety CoE to Host a CIFOR Toolkit Workshop
In a proactive step toward enhancing foodborne disease surveillance and response, the Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH) recently hosted a successful CIFOR Toolkit workshop in collaboration with the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) and the Tennessee Food Safety Center of Excellence (TN Food Safety CoE).
The Council to Improve Foodborne Outbreak Response (CIFOR) is a national multidisciplinary partnership of public health professionals working to improve the detection, investigation, control, and prevention of foodborne disease outbreaks. To support the implementation of its Guidelines for Foodborne Disease Outbreak Response, CIFOR developed a Toolkit designed to help health departments assess their current practices and apply targeted improvements.
Workshop Goals and Approach
The workshop brought together state and regional experts in epidemiology, environmental health, and public health laboratories. Prior to the event, APHL and TN Food Safety CoE supported KDPH in completing key CIFOR worksheets to identify jurisdictional decision-making structures and prioritize areas for improvement. Participants were encouraged to review CIFOR’s guidelines, learning modules and review their current protocols in preparation for the workshop.
During the workshop, attendees were organized into teams by KDPH to support collaboration on selected CIFOR focus areas. Each team reviewed relevant recommendations from the CIFOR Toolkit and assessed their implementation priorities. This approach fostered cross-disciplinary engagement and strategic planning, helping participants align on actionable improvements to enhance foodborne outbreak detection and response.
Key Outcomes
KDPH identified two primary focus areas for improvement:
- Communication
- Relationships with Relevant Agencies and Organizations
Action plans were developed for each area, outlining specific tasks, responsible staff, and timelines. Highlights included:
- Communication Enhancements:
- Establishing formal communication protocols
- Updating contact lists
- Tracking communication metrics during outbreak responses
- Strengthening Relationships:
- Revising outbreak response protocols
- Conducting tabletop exercises with key stakeholders
Most initiatives are scheduled for implementation or completion by 2027.
Looking Ahead
This workshop exemplifies how strategic partnerships and structured tools like the CIFOR Toolkit can empower public health agencies to identify gaps, prioritize improvements, and enhance their outbreak response capabilities. KDPH’s goal is to conduct a CIFOR Toolkit Workshop once a year to review and improve on other CIFOR Toolkit focus areas.
APHL and the Food Safety CoEs are available to support other jurisdictions in hosting similar workshops. If you are interested in hosting a CIFOR Toolkit Workshop, contact your Food Safety CoE. By investing in collaboration and preparedness, agencies can better protect communities and improve public health outcomes in the face of foodborne disease threats.
Sample Collection Survey with Arizona Department of Health Services
Stool specimen collection during an enteric illness outbreak is essential for determining the outbreak etiology and for advancing the epidemiologic understanding of the pathogens and food vehicles causing illness. During 2018 and 2019 only 42% of enteric disease outbreaks in Arizona had at least two stool specimens collected during the investigation. Arizona department of health services (ADHS) wanted to help investigators meet the goal of 2 or more stool specimens collected per outbreak where Arizona aimed to collect for at least 60% of investigations. When they started to develop resources ADHS realized that they did not fully understand the barriers to collecting the appropriate number of samples. With that in mind, ADHS worked with the Colorado CoE to create and administer a survey to outbreak investigators in Arizona and Colorado asking about general and outbreak-specific barriers, agency protocols, practices for sample collection and investigators’ needs for training or resources for specimen collection. Advantages of working together on this survey included combining data from multiple states, having a larger group/network for ideas and collaboration, and ADHS having access to student support through the CoE. The partnership found that reducing barriers requires multifaceted approaches, including increased program funding, educating public health staff, and providing collection resources to local public health agencies.