Hospital Kitchen Campylobacter Outbreak Response Plan

Immediate Actions: Isolation and Symptom Tracking

Upon suspected Campylobacter contamination, immediately remove all potentially affected food items from service and quarantine them separately for testing and traceability documentation. Notify your infection prevention and clinical microbiology teams immediately; they should be flagging any patient or staff Campylobacter infections to food service leadership. Implement real-time symptom reporting from kitchen staff and patients (fever, diarrhea, abdominal cramping) and begin documenting dates, times, meal services, and individuals affected. The CDC and FSIS both recognize that rapid product removal and chain-of-custody documentation are foundational to stopping ongoing exposure within the facility.

Staff Communication and Health Department Coordination

Immediately brief kitchen leadership, infection control, occupational health, and risk management on the outbreak situation and your response steps. Notify your state health department and local health officer as required—hospital kitchens typically fall under state food service regulations and must report suspected foodborne illness outbreaks promptly. Coordinate with epidemiology to establish a timeline of suspect meals and identify all potentially exposed patients and staff; the health department will guide traceback procedures and determine if enforcement action is needed. Document all communications with health officials, including dates, personnel contacted, and agency guidance received, as these records may be requested during an investigation.

Product Traceback and Sanitation Documentation

Conduct a detailed traceback of the suspect product(s)—identify the supplier, lot number, production date, storage conditions, and all meals in which it was served. Review receiving logs, temperature records, and food handler practices to determine where contamination likely occurred. Perform targeted sanitation of equipment, surfaces, and areas used to prepare suspect items, and document cleaning methods, agents used, and verification (e.g., ATP swabs or microbiological testing). Obtain lab results from health department or third-party testing on both the suspect product and environmental swabs to confirm Campylobacter presence and guide future preventive measures such as supplier audits or process changes.

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