Protecting families from contaminated food and water
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Protecting families from contaminated food and water
Posted in Listeria,Our Blog on September 3, 2025
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has made changes to their foodborne illness surveillance program, FoodNet. As of July 1, the Program will only monitor for Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC).
Sources say that, among other potential contributing factors, reduced federal funding for FoodNet impacted this decision.
Why these two? What about the other six the Program previously monitored? Does this change food safety?
Here’s what we know so far about what these changes to the foodborne illness surveillance program.
Foodborne illness is a serious burden in the United States and a leading cause of illness. The CDC estimates that around 48 million people are impacted by foodborne illness each year. While most people recover from their illness without medical intervention, 128,000 require hospitalization. An estimated 3,000 die.
FoodNet, the CDC’s foodborne illness surveillance program is a collaborative effort between the state and federal agencies. Since its establishment in July 1995, it has served a significant role in foodborne illness tracking.
Partners involved include the CDC, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and 10 state health departments.
Participating state health departments include Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, Tennessee, and select counties in the state of California and New York. Over 700 clinical laboratories now participate.
This program tracks eight common foodborne pathogens. Campylobacter, Cyclospora, Listeria, Salmonella, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), Shigella, Vibrio, and Yersenia.
It served as a central location where these federal and state agencies could submit information. This is useful to monitor trends, understand links between specific foods and settings with certain foodborne illnesses, and overall determine the burden of foodborne illness in the United States.
The program has evolved over time. Initially, there were only seven pathogens. Two were added in 1997. Cyclospora and Cryptosporidium. The latter being removed from the program in 2017.
Culture independent methods (like PCR and whole genome sequencing) have also been added to the program, strengthening it over time.
In addition to the results of diagnostic tests, FoodNet also collects information about infected people.
Things like whether or not the patient was hospitalized, if the patient has died, whether they traveled prior to becoming sick, and what food or environmental exposures the patient had.
FoodNet also conducts exposure surveys. An important part of comparing foods consumed by sick people to the experiences in the general population.
A national network foodborne illness surveillance program is important because it shows a bigger picture.
Statistically, only a fraction of the people who become sick with a foodborne illness actually report their illness. Generally, only those who are sick enough to seek medical care get reported. If a small number of reported cases are scattered across a larger geographical area, a widespread contamination event may go on much longer. Leaving those in more susceptible groups vulnerable for longer than necessary.
So, how does it work?
It starts when people are exposed to an organism. Generally, contaminated food or food products. Some of those who are exposed will become sick.
Some of those who are sick will seek medical care. When this happens, the illness is diagnosed by collecting and testing a sample. The patient’s sample is submitted to a clinical laboratory, where it is tested.
A positive test for certain pathogens is “reportable.” Meaning, local or state health departments want to know about it. This information is used for local illness surveillance.
How did FoodNet decide which pathogens to track and which ones to cut?
Sources say the decision was made based on statistical evidence of hospitalizations and deaths. Salmonella and STEC are among the top five contributing foodborne illnesses in the United States.
But others are close behind. For example, 1.5 million Americans are sickened with Campylobacter each year. Not to mention Listeria as the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness.
The exclusion of Listeria comes as a big surprise to most. Especially on the heels of last year’s Boar’s Head deli meat Listeria outbreak that sickened at least 61 people across 19 states and was suspected in 10 deaths. Even more recently, pre-cooked meals caused 17 illnesses and three deaths. Not to mention the risks of pregnancy loss associated with this germ.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) explains that reporting foodborne Campylobacter, Cyclospora, Listeria, Shigella, Vibrio, and Yersenia foodborne illness is now optional. But several states have indicated that they will continue to test and report for these germs.
Minnesota Department of Health indicates that all eight pathogens are still covered by the state’s infectious disease reporting rule. Healthcare providers in the state are still required to report these illnesses.
The Maryland Health Department has also indicated that they will continue tracking all eight pathogens, per usual.
Colorado, on the other hand, has not completely committed. However, state health officials did indicate potential cuts to their own surveillance activities.
Other states may follow suit. Unfortunately, without a larger organization sifting through this data, reporting activities will be less effective.
Of course we hope that another outbreak on the magnitude of Boar’s Head or Blue Bell does not happen again. But how prepared will we be if something like that does happen?
Will it take longer to identify an outbreak? Will more people get sick? Could more people die?
Given that the network only accounts for about 16% of the country, it is possible we will see no significant change. However, the 16% of the country that has been monitored for the last 30 years is quite population dense.
Only time will tell the overall impact.
If you’d like to know more about food safety topics in the news, like “CDC’s Foodborne Illness Surveillance Program Drops Listeria and Other Germs from List,” check out the Make Food Safe Blog. We regularly update trending topics, foodborne infections in the news, recalls, and more! Stay tuned for quality information to help keep your family safe, while The Lange Law Firm, PLLC strives to Make Food Safe!
By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)