US EditionThe CDC quietly scaled back a surveillance program for foodborne illnesses
The CDC reduced FoodNet's active monitoring to Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli due to funding shortfalls, affecting surveillance for 54 million people across 10 states.
- On July 1, the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network scaled back monitoring to only Salmonella and STEC, involving the CDC, FDA, USDA, and 10 state health departments.
- Internal CDC talking points attribute the FoodNet cuts to funding that hasn't kept pace, despite a $72 million food safety request for fiscal 2026 matching prior years.
- The change removes active monitoring for Campylobacter, Cyclospora, Listeria, Shigella, Vibrio, and Yersinia from a program covering about 54 million people across 10 states.
- Food safety experts warn the move could slow outbreak detection and erase decades of progress, while state health departments are responding differently, with the Georgia Department of Public Health and New Mexico Health Department yet to receive formal CDC notice.
- The change was implemented quietly nearly two months ago, prompting concern about timing and notice, while the CDC said narrowing FoodNet helps prioritize core activities and maintain quality, advocates such as Barbara Kowalcyk called the decision disappointing.
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77 Articles
77 Articles
CDC scales back program that tracks food poisoning infections
·Washington, United States
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CDC Scales Back Foodborne Illness Surveillance Programs
The federal Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) scaled back its monitoring of foodborne illnesses on July 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed. FoodNet, a collaboration among the CDC, the Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and 10 state health departments, had previously tracked infections from eight pathogens but is now focusing on just two, salmonella and Shiga toxin-pro…
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Total News Sources77
Leaning Left13Leaning Right5Center40Last UpdatedBias Distribution69% Center
Bias Distribution
- 69% of the sources are Center
69% Center
L 22%
C 69%
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