Foodborne Outbreak Interview Questionnaires

To identify a food source of an outbreak, public health officials interview sick people to find out what they ate before getting sick. This page has links to several standard questionnaires used.

National Hypothesis Generating Questionnaire (NHGQ)

The NHGQ collects a standard set of information about food and other exposures for all outbreak cases identified during a multistate investigation. For some multistate outbreaks, CDC works with state partners to use the NHGQ to collect the same information across many states. This helps investigators identify a common food source more quickly.

Additional Standard Questionnaires

• Minnesota Questionnaire [PDF – 13 pages]
• Minnesota Questionnaire [DOC – 13 pages]
• Oregon Questionnaire [PDF – 6 pages]
• Oregon Questionnaire [DOC – 6 pages]

More Resources

Case Report Forms

• Listeria Case Report Form [PDF – 17 pages]
• Listeria Case Report Form – Spanish version [PDF – 15 pages]
• Cholera and Other Vibrio Illnesses Report Form [PDF – 7 pages]
• National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS) Reporting Forms and Guidance

Tools for Foodborne Outbreak Investigations

• FoodNet Population Survey Tool
• Guidelines for Specimen Collection
• Guide to Confirming a Diagnosis in Foodborne Disease
• FoodCORE Metrics
• National Environmental Assessment Reporting System (NEARS)
• Environmental Assessment Training Series (EATS)