Founded in 2011, the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Coordinated Outbreak Response & Evaluation (CORE) Network combines medical, public health, and scientific expertise to fight foodborne illness outbreaks. In that time, it has identified nearly 1,000 potential outbreaks and issued over 400 public safety alerts.
This specialized network has responded to 234 outbreaks linked to FDA-regulated food products. In 100 of these cases, CORE successfully identified specific foods as the source of contamination, leading to targeted consumer warnings and recalls.
CORE’s operational structure consists of several specialized teams working in concert to detect, respond to, and prevent foodborne illness outbreaks. The Signals and Surveillance Team serves as the network’s early warning system, collaborating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), FDA field offices, and state agencies to evaluate emerging outbreaks and disease patterns.
When potential outbreaks are detected, Response Teams coordinate with multiple stakeholders to implement control measures. These teams work directly with FDA field personnel, subject matter experts, and state partners to conduct investigations, inspections, and product sampling while tracing distribution networks of suspected contaminated foods.
The network’s actions have resulted in at least 251 product recalls since 2011. Between 2016 and 2019 alone, CORE issued 268 assignments for food facility and farm investigations, record collection, and sample analysis, with 106 of these assignments specifically focused on sample collection.
A dedicated Communications Team monitors investigations and issues public warnings when actionable steps can be taken to reduce illness risks. This team also manages media relations and stakeholder inquiries regarding outbreak investigations.
The network’s post-response activities, led by the Outbreak Evaluation and Analytics Teams, have contributed to several significant improvements in food safety measures. These include developing enhanced detection methods for the Cyclospora parasite and contributing to the FDA Produce Safety Rule, which aims to reduce contamination risks in produce.
CORE’s analysis work has also led to the development of new inspectional and sampling surveillance protocols to monitor food industries associated with previous outbreaks. The network has expanded its impact by providing educational resources to food industry professionals, including retailers, growers, shippers, and carriers, on proper handling of recalled produce and outbreak prevention strategies.
The network’s findings and prevention strategies are regularly shared through scientific journals and professional conferences, helping to disseminate crucial food safety information throughout the industry. This knowledge-sharing initiative includes detailed analyses of past outbreak investigations and prevention efforts.
CORE’s comprehensive approach involves monitoring firms’ inspection histories, sampling results, product distribution patterns, and sourcing information. This data is analyzed alongside historical incidents involving similar pathogen and food combinations to better understand and predict potential outbreak patterns.
Commenting on this article, the nation’s leading food poisoning lawyer said, “A successful foodborne illness investigation relies heavily on close collaboration and coordination between multiple federal, state, and local agency stakeholders. Together, they help protect and strengthen our nation’s food safety infrastructure.”
