What Stop Foodborne Illness does

Stop Foodborne Illness is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public-health advocacy organization founded in 1993 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It focuses on preventing foodborne illness by combining survivor-led advocacy with industry coalition-building, primarily through the STOP Foodborne Illness Alliance — a corporate coalition that has grown from 10 founding partners in 2018 to 25 members by late 2025, including Amazon, Walmart, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Costco, Yum! Brands and the Meat Institute. The organization runs a portfolio of programmatic offerings: Food Recall Alerts, a Food Safety Culture Toolkit distributed in 97 countries, the STOP3000 annual fundraising campaign, the Dave Theno Food Safety Fellowship (run in partnership with Michigan State University), the 40 Under 40 leadership program (now in its third year), a mentorship program, and an educational webinar series. Its core "technology" is content, convening, and coalition management rather than a software platform.

The organization's business model is donation- and grant-funded. Revenue is generated from individual giving (including STOP3000), corporate contributions tied to Alliance membership, and program-related support. It also pursues federal policy advocacy on FDA Reform and Recall Modernization, positioning itself as a stakeholder voice in food-safety regulatory modernization. End beneficiaries are consumers, survivors of foodborne illness, and the broader food industry — while revenue contributors are a mix of distributed individual donors and a concentrated set of large corporate Alliance partners. Headcount is small (1–10 employees), consistent with a lean advocacy organization operating at national scale largely through partner leverage rather than internal staff capacity.

Name

Stop Foodborne Illness

Legal name

Stop Foodborne Illness

Website

https://stopfoodborneillness.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Stop Foodborne Illness is a 501(c)(3) public-health advocacy nonprofit founded in 1993 that convenes a 25-member corporate Alliance and survivor network to prevent foodborne illness through education, policy advocacy, and workforce programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Nonprofit Advocacy

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423)

akta.pro primary industry

Foodborne Illness Surveillance & Outbreak Investigation (HLAJAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Safety Culture & Change Management Programs (AFALANAH), Crisis Management & Recall Program Design within FSMS (AFALANAI), FSMS Corrective/Preventive Action (CAPA) & Nonconformance Management (AFALANAG)

Keywords

• Foodborne illness prevention
• Food safety advocacy
• Public health education
• Food recall alerts
• Survivor support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization, STOP relies on donations from individuals, families, survivors, and supporters. The website features a prominent 'DONATE' call-to-action, indicating charitable contributions as a primary revenue source.

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Stop Foodborne Illness (STOP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public health organization that delivers foodborne illness prevention services through survivor storytelling, food recall alerts, consumer education resources, policy advocacy, and a food industry collaboration (the Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness). It provides free public resources such as the Navigating Foodborne Illness GuideMap, factsheets, and videos, while running industry-facing programs including the Food Safety Culture Toolkit, Webinar Series, Mentorship Program, 40 Under 40 recognition, and the Dave Theno Food Safety Fellowship.

Product overview

Stop Foodborne Illness (STOP) is a national nonprofit public health organization that operates as a platform-plus-programs model rather than a traditional software product company. The organization's core offerings include advocacy services for foodborne illness survivors, the Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness (a food industry collaboration), educational resources for consumers and professionals, policy advocacy initiatives, and support programs. Key programs include the Food Safety Culture Toolkit (accessed globally), STOP3000 annual fundraiser, Dave Theno Food Safety Fellowship, 40 Under 40 recognition program, Webinar Series, Mentorship Program, and Speaker Bureau. Consumer-facing resources include Food Recall Alerts, the Navigating Foodborne Illness GuideMap, Factsheets, and support for sharing personal stories. The Alliance program connects food industry partners with survivor advocates to promote food safety culture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness: A consumer-industry initiative to influence human behaviors and improve internal food safety culture, operating through working groups that develop practical tools including educational materials and a Food Safety Culture Toolkit accessed by users across 97 countries.
• STOP3000
• Dave Theno Food Safety Fellowship

Products and services

• Food Recall Alerts Daily email alert service that notifies subscribers about food recalls and outbreak investigations, helping consumers stay informed about potentially contaminated products.
• Food Safety Culture Toolkit Resource kit developed by the Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness to help food industry organizations assess and improve internal food safety culture; accessed by users across 97 countries.
• STOP3000 Annual Fundraiser Annual September fundraiser during National Food Safety Education Month challenging participants to take 3,000 steps daily to honor the 3,000 lives lost annually to foodborne illness in the U.S.
• Dave Theno Food Safety Fellowship One-year fellowship for recent graduates in Food Science, Animal Science, or Food Policy to work with STOP while completing the MSU Online Food Safety Certificate, with tuition support.
• Navigating Foodborne Illness GuideMap Step-by-step digital guide helping patients and families navigate foodborne illness through key stages including symptoms, medical system entry, hospitalization, recovery, and resources.
• 40 Under 40 Food Safety Professionals Annual recognition program by the Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness platforming emerging leaders in food safety across trade associations, academia, industry, media, and health agencies.
• Alliance Webinar Series Webinar programming offered through the Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness for professional development and knowledge sharing in food safety culture and practices.
• Mentorship Program Program connecting STOP constituents with Alliance members in the food industry to share personal stories and build professional relationships that support food safety culture.
• Speaker Bureau Service connecting organizations with foodborne illness survivors and advocates for speaking engagements, presentations, and educational events.
• Factsheets Downloadable informational materials covering foodborne illness causes, symptoms, prevention, and safety practices for consumers.

Quantifiable outcome

• The Alliance's Food Safety Culture Toolkit is accessed by users in 97 countries
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• AmazoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 December 2025Amazon joined the Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness as an industry partner, bringing its perspective as a major food retailer and delivery platform to collaborative food safety culture initiatives.
• AmerisancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 December 2025Amerisan joined the Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness as an industry partner contributing to the collaborative initiative to advance food safety culture.
• Meat InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 December 2025The Meat Institute (formerly North American Meat Institute) joined the Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness as an industry partner, representing the meat sector in collaborative food safety culture work.
• Mérieux NutriSciencescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 December 2025Mérieux NutriSciences joined the Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness as an industry partner, contributing scientific and testing expertise to the collaborative food safety culture initiative.
• Yum! BrandscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 December 2025Yum! Brands joined the Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness as an industry partner, representing the restaurant sector in food safety culture development initiatives.
• Michigan State University (MSU) Online Food Safety ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSU's Online Food Safety Program collaborates with STOP on the Dave Theno Food Safety Fellowship. Fellows complete the 12-credit online Graduate Food Safety Certificate (VM 811, VM 812, VM 831 plus elective), with tuition paid by STOP. Faculty trained by CDC's Epidemic Intelligence Service provide instruction.
• Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness Members (Cargill, Conagra, Costco, Hershey, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Walmart, National Restaurant Association, Maple Leaf Foods, Mars, IDFA, and others)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Alliance connects STOP's survivor constituency with industry partners who participate in working groups developing practical tools including educational materials and the Food Safety Culture Toolkit. The Alliance has grown from 10 founding companies in 2018 to 25 industry partners as of December 2025.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Pew Charitable Trusts (Food Safety Program): Major philanthropic organization that runs a Food Safety program focused on federal regulatory reform and outbreak response. Comparable to STOP's policy-advocacy wing, particularly around FDA reform and recall modernization, but with substantially larger financial and research resources.
• International Association for Food Protection (IAFP): Professional association for food-safety scientists and practitioners worldwide, organizing the IAFP Annual Meeting where STOP's CEO has presented. Comparable to STOP's role convening food-safety expertise, but focused on technical/professional membership rather than survivor advocacy.
• Consumer Reports: Large independent consumer-product testing and advocacy organization that publishes food-safety ratings and investigations. Comparable to STOP as a consumer-trusted voice on food safety, but operates at much larger scale and scope across all product categories.
• FMI – The Food Industry Association: Trade association representing food retailers and wholesalers; listed as a STOP Alliance partner. Comparable as a food-industry convener but represents industry interests rather than consumer/survivor advocacy.
• NSF International: Global public-health and safety organization that develops food-safety standards and certification (NSF/ANSI standards). Comparable to STOP in food-safety domain, but operates as a standards/certification body rather than advocacy nonprofit; Mérieux NutriSciences (a STOP Alliance partner) sits in the same testing ecosystem.

Direct peers

• Food & Water Watch: National nonprofit advocacy organization working on food safety, food policy, and corporate accountability. Comparable to STOP in mission (consumer protection from food-related harm), funding model (donor-driven), and reliance on policy advocacy campaigns.
• Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI): National consumer advocacy nonprofit focused on food safety, nutrition, and health. Directly comparable to STOP as a US-based food-safety advocacy organization using research, policy campaigns, and consumer education to influence industry and government.
• Partnership for Food Safety Education: Public-private nonprofit coalition that educates consumers about safe food handling. Highly comparable to STOP's educational mission, including the Food Safety Culture Toolkit and consumer-facing factsheets, with overlapping industry partner ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Food Safety News: Specialty online publication covering food-safety outbreaks, recalls, and policy. Comparable to STOP's recall-alert and outbreak-information function, though operating as a media outlet rather than a survivor-advocacy nonprofit.

Regional players

• Safe Food Alliance: California-rooted food-safety training, auditing, and consulting organization serving growers and processors. Comparable to STOP's food-safety culture work via the Alliance toolkit, but commercially focused on compliance and certification rather than survivor advocacy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/stopfoodillness
• YouTubevimeo.com/stopfoodborneillness
• Facebookfacebook.com/StopFoodborneIllness
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stopfoodborneillness
• Instagraminstagram.com/stopfoodborneillness

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Stop Foodborne Illness