Food & Waterborne Illness Field Research & Response Team
Investigating food and waterborne illness outbreaks to identify contamination sources and prevent further transmission.
Unit Mission
The Food & Waterborne Illness Field Research & Response Team investigates outbreaks of foodborne and waterborne illness — tracing contamination from source to patient, identifying the pathogens and vehicles responsible, and implementing control measures that prevent further transmission. The team applies food safety science, environmental microbiology, and epidemiology to conduct traceback investigations, assess food system vulnerabilities, and advise on the regulatory and operational interventions needed to prevent recurrence.
Key Functions
Outbreak Investigation
Conducting systematic foodborne and waterborne outbreak investigations — applying case-control studies, cohort analysis, and environmental sampling to identify the pathogen, vehicle, and source responsible for illness clusters.
Traceback Analysis
Tracing contaminated food and water through supply chains — identifying the production, processing, or distribution points where contamination occurred to enable targeted recalls and prevent further exposure.
Prevention Advisory
Advising on food safety and water quality improvements — developing regulatory recommendations, facility inspection protocols, and operational changes that address the vulnerabilities identified during outbreak investigations.
Operational Capabilities
Health Security, Bio-Risk & Humanitarian Medicine Directorate
Join This Unit
Pacific 7.0 International recruits medical professionals, epidemiologists, public health specialists, and humanitarian health workers committed to protecting lives in the world's most challenging environments.