On September 21, the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to outline an agreement through which both agencies intend to advance collaborative efforts to reduce the occurrence of foodborne illnesses in retail and foodservice establishments. The MOU outlines three primary goals:

• (1) increase uniformity, consistency, and capacity of state, tribal, local, and territorial regulatory agencies (STLT) retail food protection programs;

• (2) promote industry’s active managerial control (AMC) of foodborne illness risk factors and promote a culture of food safety; and

• (3) maintain a strong FDA and CDC workforce to assist STLT partners.

To achieve the three primary goals, the FDA and CDC have the following objectives:

• Improve STLT’s effectiveness in conducting inspections and investigations

• Promote a culture of food safety and food safety management systems

• Improve research in support of foodborne illness risk factor reduction

• Improve the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the FDA and CDC staff

The FDA and CDC have historically worked together to control foodborne illness risk factors for foodborne illness outbreaks, and believe that this MOU will ensure enhanced continued collaboration on this type of work.