Partners Letter

Dear partner,

A recent analysis by experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted that incarcerated individuals are more likely to experience illness (e.g., diarrhea, vomiting) from a foodborne outbreak than the general public. Additionally, outbreaks in jails and prisons are roughly six times larger than those in non-correctional setting, placing strain on correctional staff and health systems. In response to these findings, CDC is looking to collaborate with public health and correctional partners to improve food safety in correctional settings. We plan to create model food safety practices and tools which are tailored to the unique needs and contextual environments of jails and prisons and support training opportunities for correctional staff in food safety.

CDC has designed an anonymous survey to help us better understand correctional food service resources, training needs, and barriers to food safety practices identified by correctional staff. The survey does not ask for names, employer, or contact information so the answers cannot be tied back to an individual or a facility. Data will be summarized in aggregate and individual responses will not be made available. The survey is completely voluntary and should take less than 30 minutes to complete. We ask that you distribute this survey link to all correctional workers within your organization (not just those who are assigned to work in food preparation) and encourage their participation. Each person should only submit one response. The survey will remain open until __________ (60 days from survey opening). This information will greatly improve the tools and resources we develop for correctional workers.

(Anonymous survey link)

Thank you for helping us advance food safety in correctional settings.

Sincerely,

Prevention Office

Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases