Stop Foodborne Illness

The Alliance to Stop Foodborne IllnessThe Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness focuses on promoting positive, mature food safety cultures across industry.The Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness is a program of Stop Foodborne Illness (STOP), that brings together STOP constituents, leading food companies, and other like- minded organizations deeply committed to the goal of preventing foodborne disease. Developed in 2018, the Alliance was born out of a shared understanding of the crucial role food safety culture plays in ensuring that food is safe, and consumers are protected.

The Dave Theno Food Safety Fellowship was created after the food safety revolutionary's untimely death in 2017. Mr. Theno's response to the unprecedented 1993 deadly E. coli O157:H7 outbreak transformed food practices, standards, management, and leadership in the beef industry.The Fellowship's focus is to fuel the passion for food safety in young, accomplished scientists and to develop and encourage careers in food safety. Stop Foodborne Illness, along with Michigan State University, has the honor of supporting the Dave Theno Food Safety Fellowship.

Support and Resources for ConsumersSTOP has become the leading resource for consumers who experience foodborne illness or are seeking more information about food safety. On its website, STOP offers consumers an e-recall option that customizes recall notices or other food safety alerts geographically and by interest, so that consumers receive just the alerts that are pertinent to them for greater impact. The number of consumers who have signed up for these e-alerts has grown exponentially over the last few years as consumers recognize the importance of being better-informed about food safety issues. STOP also provides a forum for those who have suffered from or lost a loved one to foodborne illness to tell their stories and raise awareness among the public about the short- and long-term impact foodborne illnesses can have and how they might be prevented. STOP helps these constituent advocates tell their stories to industry and government leaders who have within their power the ability to make real and lasting changes to food safety culture in the United States. Advocacy and Food Safety Policy One significant area of work for STOP is that of advocacy for better food safety regulation and policy at the federal, state, and local levels to protect consumers. STOP provides a voice for those who have been harmed by bacteria that are legally allowed to be in foods put into commerce. We believe that feeding your family should not be a high-risk activity; therefore, we focus on issues that will impact the full spectrum of consumers. Currently, STOP is working to reduce harmful Salmonella in poultry products, is campaigning to include Cronobacter sakazakii on the reportable diseases list, and working collaboratively with the food industry, associations, and other advocacy organizations to move FDA to a proactive regulatory agency rather than continuing its culture of reactivity.Alliance to Stop Foodborne IllnessThe Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness has been instrumental in forming vital relationships between stakeholders in the field of food safety. Through the Alliance, STOP has become a trusted resource for information and training materials to be utilized with organizations of every size to influence a companys food safety culture through focusing on continually developing food safety knowledge, beliefs, and practices. The Alliance is made possible by the increasingly recognized need for more cooperative approaches to food safety and the importance of strong, mature food safety cultures across food producers and distributors, and at every step of the food production chain. The shift from disconnected to collaborative action is grounded in the common goals of many industry food safety leaders and consumer advocates to prevent illness through best practices, continuous improvement, and strong corporate food safety cultures. Dave Theno FellowshipSince 2018, the Alliance has offered the Dave Theno Food Safety Fellowship to one recent graduate (within five years) with a food science, animal science, political science, or public health undergraduate or graduate degree from an accredited college or university with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Preference will be given to those seeking a career in the food industry or food regulation. The Fellow completes a 12-credit Online Food Safety Certificate with Michigan State University, is mentored by the Alliance, and works with Stop Foodborne Illness in Chicago, IL.