• Posted August 29, 2025

CDC Scales Back Foodborne Illness Tracking

Federal health officials have cut back a long-running program that tracks foodborne illnesses in the United States.

The Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, known as FoodNet, will now require state health departments to track only two pathogens — salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli — according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Until July, the program monitored infections caused by eight pathogens, The Associated Press reported.

The change affects 10 states participating in FoodNet, a joint federal-state system established in 1995 that tracks foodborne infections among roughly 16% of the U.S. population.

“FoodNet doesn’t just count cases,” Carlota Medus, who supervises the Minnesota Department of Health’s foodborne diseases unit, told The AP. “The FoodNet sites collect robust data that contribute to the understanding of certain infections.”

FoodNet sites include health departments in Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, Tennessee and some counties in California and New York.

Previously, health departments were also required to track campylobacter, cyclospora, listeria, shigella, vibrio and Yersinia. Reporting on these infections is now optional.

CDC spokesperson Paul Prince told The AP that narrowing reporting requirements “will allow FoodNet staff to prioritize core activities” and “steward resources effectively.” Officials did not clarify whether the decision is linked to recent federal funding cuts.

However, some experts warn that the reduction could make it harder to detect outbreaks and understand emerging food safety risks. 

“Long term, it will affect our ability to use surveillance data to better understand risks in the food supply,” Medus said.

FoodNet was launched as a partnership of the CDC, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and several other states. 

By collecting detailed data on foodborne illnesses, the program has helped track infection rates across the nation.

Without this broader data, former FDA food safety official Frank Yiannas warned that “we won’t know as accurately as possible if we’re getting better or worse in respect to certain pathogens.”

More information

Learn more about FoodNet.

SOURCE: The Associated Press, Aug. 27, 2025