In an ideal world,determining the effectiveness of a retail and food service regulatory program would be based on the occurrence of foodborne illness within that jurisdiction.
The occurrence of foodborne illness is,however,underreported,making it an unreliable program measurement.As an alternative,the occurrence of foodborne illness risk factors can be used to gauge program effectiveness.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Surveillance Report for 1993-1997,"Surveillance for Foodborne-Disease Outbreaks-United States",identifies the most significant contributing factors to foodborne illness. Five of these broad categories of contributing factors directly relate to food safety concerns within retail and food service establishments and are collectively termed by the FDA as "foodborne illness risk factors".