Public health project to improve retail food safety and training in Franklin County
Official title: Franklin County Public Health EHS-Net
Funded at Franklin County Ohio Board/commissioners · NIH-11239235 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A public health project in Franklin County aims to reduce foodborne illness by improving how retail food establishments handle safety, with a focus on language and literacy, training, and inspector consistency.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Franklin County Ohio Board/commissioners NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Columbus, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2026 |
| Project end | November 29, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $228,495 |
| NIH project number | 1U01EH001383-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11239235 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Not applicable to patient participants; focuses on public health practice in retail food settings and inspectors.
✕Less likely to help
No direct patient involvement is expected; the work targets food safety in retail environments.
What this research studies
This project will analyze how language, literacy, and other factors influence compliance with the Ohio Uniform Food Code and food safety outcomes. It will adapt and test training materials for workers and managers in retail food establishments who face language or literacy barriers. The team will use existing inspection data to study variations between inspectors and establishments to identify standardization opportunities. Results will help tailor education and training to improve food safety practices and reduce illness in the community.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the project could lead to safer food handling practices in more stores and fewer foodborne illness outbreaks.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work has linked training and standardization with improvements in inspection performance and food safety outcomes, with potential for scalable benefits.
Where this research is happening
-
Franklin County Ohio Board/commissioners
Columbus, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jensen, Sarah — Franklin County Ohio Board/commissioners
- Study coordinator: Jensen, Sarah
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.