Foodborne Outbreaks | Food Safety | CDC

During a multistate foodborne disease outbreak, CDC serves as lead coordinator between public health partners to detect the outbreak, define its size and extent, and to identify the source.

Public health officials investigate outbreaks to control them, so more people do not get sick in the outbreak, and to learn how to prevent similar outbreaks from happening in the future.

List of Selected Multistate Foodborne Outbreak Investigations

Illustration of the E. coli pathogen.

Learn about a E. coli outbreak linked to an unknown food source.

A bowl of ice cream

Learn about a Listeria outbreak linked to ice cream.

Collage of different foods and animals that caused outbreaks in 2016.

Read the Summary of Possible Multistate Enteric (Intestinal) Disease Outbreaks in 2016

Types of Data Used to Solve Outbreaks infographic

Types of Data Used to Solve Outbreaks

Check out the infographic!

Photo of Salmonella pathogen

Learn About Food Poisoning Symptoms

Active Investigations of Multistate Foodborne Outbreaks

List of Foodborne Outbreaks, CDC’s Role, Foodborne Illness Q & A, MMWR Reports

Types of Data Collected in Foodborne Outbreak Investigations

Guide to Investigating Outbreaks, Reporting Foodborne Illness, Laboratory Resources

Tools for Foodborne Outbreak Investigators

Outbreak Surveillance, Reporting Systems, Questionnaires and Tools

Recent Outbreak Investigations

Foodborne Outbreaks
Outbreaks Linked to Animals

Unknown Food Source – E. coli O157:H7
Ice Cream – Listeria monocytogenes
Strawberries – Hepatitis A
Raw Oysters – Norovirus

Small Turtles – Salmonella Stanley
Backyard Poultry – Salmonella Infections

Report a Foodborne Illness

group of people

Health Departments

health department

Healthcare Workers

healthcare professionals

CDC in Action: Foodborne Outbreaks

Low Resolution Video

Watch the Video

Preventing Outbreaks

The Food Production Chain. Click the image to get a larger view.

Outbreak investigations play a key role in preventing future outbreaks.

Page last reviewed: August 17, 2022

Content source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases (DFWED)