A Guide for Conducting a Food Safety Root Cause Analysis

Root cause analysis (RCA) is a method of problem-solving with strong implications for helping identify and understand the central causes of events like food contamination and foodborne illness outbreaks. “A Guide for Conducting a Food Safety Root Cause Analysis” was published to encourage the use of RCA in food operations and by safety regulators.

Adopting RCA in food safety can help:

  • Isolate the central “how” and “why” an event occurred.
  • Clarify steps needed to correct the cause of a problem and prevent recurrence.
  • Uncover weaknesses in food safety systems.
  • Foster collaboration, trust, and knowledge-sharing among food producers, regulatory and nonregulatory agencies, and consumers.

This article is freely available from the Pew Research Center.

Learn more about RCA in food safety by watching this Association of Food and Drug Officials webinar.

A Guide For Conducting Food Safety Root Cause Analysis by AFDO on YouTube.