CORE Is FDA's New Outbreak Response Team

image credit: blogs.fda.gov

The police have SWAT, the Army has the 101st Airborne Division, and now, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has the Coordinated Outbreak Response and Evaluation team, better known as CORE in the rapid-response community.

The FDA launched CORE, which had been over a year in the making, last summer as its new approach to foodborne illness outbreaks. The new FDA team had its baptism by fire almost immediately in August 2011 when the Listeria-related illness outbreak (eventually traced to cantaloupes from a Colorado farm) swept through 28 states, killing 30 and causing 146 others to fall ill.

The launching of CORE is welcome news for the public, food advocates, as well as for conscientious food-establishment owners who employ workers with food handler certification or food safety certification training as it significantly shortens the time that a illness crisis is resolved.

image credit: blogs.fda.gov

According to FDA, CORE is dedicated to the investigation, management, and prevention of outbreaks of illnesses caused by pathogens, such as Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria, when they contaminate human food, animal food, and cosmetic products. CORE tightly coordinates with FDA offices and staff in the field, and with federal. state, and local authorities in carrying out its mandate.

CORE has recruited veterans of outbreak response--epidemiologists, public and environmental health specialists, and also consumer safety officers—as well as people from all over the agency.

"We intentionally brought in people from multiple disciplines, with multiple perspectives," noted CORE response manager Roberta Hammond. "Each person has different talents, skills and levels of expertise. We wanted to bring a fresh perspective to all outbreak-related activities at FDA."