How does FDA define a foodborne illness risk factor?
In developing the design for this study, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s National Retail Food Team used information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Surveillance Report for 1988 – 1992 to identify which food safety practices should be the focus of its data collection efforts. This CDC surveillance report identified food safety practices and employee behaviors most associated with foodborne illness outbreaks. Some of these reported contributing factors relate to food safety concerns within foodservice and retail food store facility types and include: food from unsafe sources, improper holding/time and temperature, inadequate cooking, poor personal hygiene, and contaminated equipment/prevention of contamination. For the purposes of this study FDA designated these five areas as foodborne illness risk factors. FDA added another category to assess control of potential chemical hazards. It is important that one not confuse the term risk factor as it is used
