NEARS Support
CDC’s National Environmental Assessment Reporting System (NEARS) is a surveillance system available to state, local, tribal, and territorial governmental environmental public health agencies to capture environmental assessment data from foodborne illness outbreak investigations.
NEARS can help you improve your food safety program while contributing to the larger understanding of trends and root causes of outbreaks.
CDC NEARS:
- Provides highly effective training and support for foodborne illness outbreak investigations
- Analyzes submitted, standardized data to understand how and why outbreaks occur
- Shares findings and recommends actions to better respond to and prevent future outbreaks
- Fosters collaboration, partnerships, and professional development
- Contributes to advancing food safety on a national scale
Why Join NEARS?
CDC NEARS provides investigation resources, training, and a surveillance system to advance the use of environmental assessments as part of outbreak investigations.
The skills needed for foodborne illness outbreak investigations go far beyond conducting routine inspections—CDC NEARS knows this.
CDC NEARS will help you:
- Identify the contributing factors and root causes of outbreaks
- Take actions to reduce and prevent future foodborne illness outbreaks
- Evaluate and improve your food safety program
- Develop or modify program policies or regulations
- Focus limited program resources on actions with the highest impact
- Meet the FDA’s Retail Food Program Standard 5
2027 CDC NEARS Annual Training
The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) will be hosting the 2027 CDC National Environmental Assessment Reporting System (NEARS) Annual Training on May 4-6, 2027, in Atlanta, Georgia.
We welcome environmental public health food safety program professionals from state, local, tribal, and territorial governmental agencies to attend this annual training event. Whether your food safety program already participates in NEARS or you want to learn how NEARS could benefit your program, you are welcome to register for this free training.
NEHA will grant travel awards to qualified applicants who register and request funding support. Funding for this opportunity is provided through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Travel award recipients will be notified between November 16 - 30, 2026. Current NEARS users and those who have not previously attended the training, who register and request funding support, will be given priority.
The 2027 CDC NEARS Annual Training Registration & Travel Award Opportunity Submission Period is October 1 – November 15, 2026.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Nicole L. Dutra, MPH
NEHA Senior Project Coordinator
CDC NEARS Support
This is one of several projects supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $337,500 with 100 percent funding by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.