Skip to main content
          Skip to FDA Search
          Skip to in this section menu
          Skip to footer links


U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government

					Here’s how you know
          			Dot gov**The .gov means it’s official.**Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.
							      SSL**The site is secure.** The **https://** ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. 
			U.S. Food and Drug Administration
				
        Search
            Menu
							
						Search FDA
									
									Submit search 
		Featured
							Contact FDA
	                FDA Guidance Documents
	                Recalls, Market Withdrawals and Safety Alerts
	                Press Announcements
	                Warning Letters
	                Advisory Committees
	                En Español

					Products
            Food
							Drugs
							Medical Devices
							Radiation-Emitting Products
							Vaccines, Blood, and Biologics
							Animal and Veterinary
							Cosmetics
							Tobacco ProductsTopics
            About FDA
							Combination Products
							Regulatory Information
							Safety
							Emergency Preparedness
							International Programs
							News and Events
							Training and Continuing Education
							Inspections and Compliance
							Science and ResearchInformation For
            Consumers
	            Patients
	            Industry
	            Health Professionals
	            Federal, State and Local Officials 
 In this section:

                CFSAN Constituent Updates

CFSAN Constituent Updates Home
          Food
          News & Events from CFSAN
          CFSAN Constituent Updates
          CORE Outbreak Investigation Table IssuedCFSAN Constituent Updates CORE Outbreak Investigation Table Issued
  
  	
    Subscribe to Email Updates
    Share
    Post
    Linkedin

    Email
    PrintConstituent Update

November 18, 2020

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued the Coordinated Outbreak Response and Evaluation (CORE) Investigation Table. This new tool will share information on FDA foodborne illness outbreak investigations, even in their early stages and as soon as FDA begins its response to the outbreak. It will give consumers early awareness of developing multistate outbreaks that are occurring across the United States.

Outbreak investigations go through several stages. Some outbreak investigations will uncover enough information to develop specific recommendations for consumers, retailers and industry. Others yield limited information throughout the investigation and detailed advice for consumers cannot be developed. For the former, we have processes and tools laid out to communicate about these investigations. Currently, a public health advisory is issued for outbreak investigations that have resulted in specific, actionable steps for consumers to take to protect themselves. This will remain the same.

The FDA’s Coordinated Outbreak Response and Evaluation Network (CORE) will use this new Investigation Table to communicate about outbreaks from beginning to end. This table will be updated once a week. It will include all outbreaks for which a CORE Response Team is coordinating an active investigation. This table will be rolled out as a 6-month pilot, during which the Agency is interested in receiving feedback and after which FDA may adjust the table, if needed.

This will also align with CDC efforts to provide information on the number of illness clusters they are investigating each week. This table will be a stepping stone to help the public move from having little knowledge of an outbreak, through each stage of the investigation, and in the best-case scenarios, investigating agencies can provide detailed, actionable advice. As the investigations evolve, so will the communications about those investigations.

The FDA’s table will include the following information:

Date Posted on the table (when it has been determined that the outbreak may involve an FDA-regulated food)
	Reference Number (FDA assigned number used to identify an outbreak for reference by stakeholders)
	Pathogen
	Product(s) Linked to Illnesses (if any)
	Case Count
	Investigation Status
	Outbreak Status
	Recall Initiated
	Traceback Initiated
	On-Site Inspection Initiated
	Collection and Analysis of SamplingAlthough FDA does not have all the information in the early phase of these investigations, this new outbreak information is being shared early and will continue to be updated weekly as a demonstration of the FDA commitment to more real-time and transparent communication with stakeholders and consumers about outbreaks we’re investigating. This follows up on steps already taken to release information early, in some cases prior to a specific food being linked to an outbreak, including in our recent communications on investigations into three ongoing E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks.

                                                                                  Content current as of:
      11/18/2020
              
              
Regulated Product(s)
		 Food & BeveragesCFSAN Constituent Updates
 Subscribe to CFSAN Constituent Updates
                        Get email updates delivered to your inbox.
    Enter your email address to subscribe:
 Footer Links
    FDA Archive
          About FDA
          Accessibility
      Visitor Information
          Website Policies / Privacy
          No FEAR Act
          Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
      FOIA
          HHS.gov
          USA.gov
    Contact FDA
      Follow FDA on Facebook
      Follow FDA on X
      Follow FDA on Instagram
      Follow FDA on LinkedIn
      View FDA videos on YouTube
      Subscribe to FDA RSS feeds
    FDA Homepage
    Contact Number
      1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332) Back toTop