Which of the following is not one of the five risk factors identified by the US FDA?

The identification of the risk factors that can lead to foodborne illnesses is essential for food safety. Among the five risk factors outlined by the US FDA, inadequate cooking, poor personal hygiene, and contaminated equipment play direct roles in the prevention of safe food handling.

Contaminated equipment contributes to foodborne illnesses by introducing pathogens that can contaminate the food being prepared. Poor personal hygiene among food handlers, such as improper handwashing, can spread harmful bacteria to food products. Inadequate cooking is crucial as it does not achieve the temperatures necessary to kill harmful microorganisms, thereby increasing the risk of foodborne illness.

Foodborne outbreak reports, while important for understanding and tracking food safety issues, do not constitute a risk factor in the same way the others do. Instead, they are the result of risk factors being present and do not directly contribute to the risk of foodborne illness in food preparation. Thus, this distinction is why foodborne outbreak reports are not considered one of the five key risk factors by the FDA.