FoodNet 2022 Preliminary Data

Since 1996, FoodNet has been counting cases and tracking trends for infections transmitted commonly through food. Information gathered on which illnesses are decreasing and which are increasing provides a foundation for food safety policy and prevention efforts. FoodNet’s surveillance data, such as those in this report, show where efforts are needed to reduce foodborne illnesses. Learn more about FoodNet.

CDC uses the best scientific methods and information available to monitor, investigate, control, and prevent foodborne illness. Using epidemiology and laboratory science, CDC assesses public health threats. CDC works closely with state health departments to monitor the frequency of specific diseases and to conduct national surveillance for the diseases it monitors.

When food safety threats appear, CDC collaborates with public health partners, including state health departments, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), to conduct epidemiologic and laboratory investigations to determine the causes of these threats and ways to control them. Although CDC does not regulate the safety of food, CDC works with regulatory agencies to help them develop robust food safety policies and assess the effectiveness of current prevention efforts. CDC provides independent scientific assessment of what the problems are, how they can be controlled, and where the gaps exist in our knowledge. You can find more information on foodborne illness and CDC’s prevention activities on CDC’s Food Safety website.

Government regulation related to food safety is the responsibility of FDA, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS), the National Marine Fisheries Service, and other regulatory agencies. Recent regulatory efforts include the following:

USDA

In October 2021, USDA announced it was reevaluating its strategy for controlling Salmonella in poultry, including whether Salmonella should be considered an adulterant in specific raw poultry products.

• Since launching this effort, USDA has focused on gathering information to guide a proposed framework for a new comprehensive strategy to reduce Salmonella illnesses attributable to poultry. USDA has been meeting with stakeholders to hear ideas and asking food safety experts for recommendations.
• In June 2021, USDA-FSIS issued updated guidelines for controlling Salmonella in raw poultry.
• In November 2021, USDA-FSIS presented a new charge to the National Advisory Committee for Microbiological Criteria in Foods to provide guidance on microbiological criteria to reduce foodborne illness from Salmonella in poultry products.
• In August 2022, USDA-FSIS began using quantification for Salmonella in raw poultry rinse samples. Using this new laboratory method, FSIS has taken the first steps to routinely estimating the amount of Salmonella present in a regulatory sample, not solely its presence or absence.
• In 2023, USDA-FSIS released a proposed notice of determination to declare Salmonella an adulterant in not-ready-to-eat breaded and stuffed chicken products. By declaring Salmonella an adulterant in these products, USDA-FSIS will be able to ensure that highly contaminated products that could make people sick are not sold to consumers.

In July 2021, USDA-FSIS updated industry guidelines for minimizing the risk of STEC in beef (including veal) slaughter operations and processing operations [PDF – 64 pages].

In February 2022, USDA-FSIS proposed performance standards for Salmonella in raw pork products.

FDA

FDA is committed to continuous improvement and working to ensure the safety of our food. Some recent activities include:

• The New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint, released in 2020, outlines FDA’s goals over the next decade to leverage new technologies, tools, and approaches to create a safer and more digital, traceable food system. The blueprint focuses on four priority areas, called core elements: enhanced traceability, smarter tools and approaches for prevention and outbreak response, new business models and retail modernization, and food safety culture.
• Also in 2020, FDA released the Coordinated Outbreak Response & Evaluation (CORE) Investigation Table which provides information on FDA foodborne illness outbreak investigations and responses.
• Since 2021, FDA has been collaborating with Stop Foodborne Illness on a series of webinars and white papers on improving food safety culture in the public and private sectors
• In 2021, FDA published a foodborne outbreak response improvement plan to enhance the speed, effectiveness, coordination, and communication of outbreak investigations.
• Since 2022, FDA has been publishing and pursuing prevention strategies to coordinate efforts focused on reducing illnesses from specific foods, including infant formula, enoki and wood ear mushrooms, bulb onions, and queso fresco-type soft cheeses.
• In 2022, FDA published the final rule for additional traceability requirements for certain foods, to enable faster identification and rapid removal of potentially contaminated food from the market.

CDC works closely with regulatory agencies as they, along with industry, develop and implement measures to make our food safer.

Following four simple food safety steps – clean, separate, cook, and chill – can help protect you and your loved ones when preparing food at home.