Foodborne Illness Risk Factors

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 in 6 Americans get sick from contaminated foods or beverages and 3,000 die each year.  Foodborne illness risk factors are food handling practices and behaviors commonly identified by the CDC as contributing factors in foodborne illness outbreaks at the retail level.  The Northern Nevada Public Health’s food regulations mirror the FDA Food Code, focusing on the control of risk factors in permitted food establishments in Washoe County.  The five major risk factors include:

1. Poor Personal Hygiene

2. Food from Unsafe Sources

3. Improper Cooking Temperatures/Methods

4. Improper Holding, Time and Temperature

5. Food Contamination

Regulators and food service operators must work together to prevent foodborne illness in our community.

  • The role of the health district is to provide for proper regulation, operator compliance evaluation and guidance to food establishment operators.
  • The role of food establishment operators is to provide safe procedures, employee training, monitoring and corrective action procedures in their establishments.

Northern Nevada Public Health Risk Factor Study Reports

Risk factor assessments are conducted every five years to aid in the evaluation of trends in foodborne illness risk factor occurrence and the effectiveness of intervention strategies initiated by the Food Protection Program in response.  NNPH initiated the most recent iteration of the risk factor assessment in January 2022 and conducted data collection through April 2024. Read the NNPH Risk Factor Study Reports by clicking below:

Only have a few minutes? Check out the 2024 NNPH Risk Factor Study Report Executive Summary. 

Last modified on 12/26/2024