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Publisher Summary State and local health departments make up the backbone of the system to detect and investigate foodborne outbreaks and illnesses in the United States. This chapter provides an overview of the entire foodborne outbreak investigative process as a means of identifying the source of contamination focusing primarily upon the environmental phase of the investigation. Foodborne outbreak investigations can be roughly characterized into five phases: surveillance/detection, epidemiologic, environmental/traceback, regulatory/enforcement, and prevention/research. These separate, yet overlapping and related phases require very different knowledge, methods, expertise, and legal authority. However, investigators involved in all phases must interact and work together throughout the entire process if the complete story of an outbreak is to be revealed and the risk of additional outbreaks is to be minimized. Training to emphasize an integrated, multidisciplinary team of laboratory, communicable disease, and environmental health staff is important. When environmental investigation findings suggest that the point of contamination may have occurred prior to the retail or food-processing facility, farm investigations may be initiated. Farm investigations require specialized expertise and training. Other investigations steps carried out are packing house investigations, fresh cut produce processor investigations, and intentional contamination. The study concludes by highlighting some recommendations for identifying and controlling the source of contamination.