JUNE 30, 2023

Few Restaurants Have Policies to Prevent Illness Spread

By Ethan Covey

Only one in six restaurants or caterers that experienced foodborne illness outbreaks had detailed policies in place to prevent the spread of illness from sick workers, according to a CDC publication.

The report summarizes data from 800 foodborne illness outbreaks at U.S. restaurants, as reported by 25 state and local health departments, during 2017-2019 (MMWR Surveill Summ 2023;72[SS-6]:1-11).

Among the 69.4% of outbreaks with a confirmed or suspected agent, the most common