Food Safety

Foodborne diseases affect tens of millions of people and kill thousands in the United States each year. They also cause billions of dollars in healthcare-related and industry costs annually.

CDC has identified reducing foodborne diseases as a winnable battle. With additional effort and support for evidence-based, cost-effective strategies that we can implement now, we will have a significant impact on our nation's health.

This food safety briefing folder provides a snapshot of the context and background for this priority area, as well as descriptions of some of the systems, policy, and programmatic interventions pursued by CDC and our public health partners at the federal, state and local levels. This information will be updated periodically as new data or relevant information becomes available.

For more information or if you have questions about the materials provided here, please contact adprogram@cdc.gov

Food Safety Briefing Materials:

• Introduction letter from CDC Director Dr. Thomas R. Frieden [PDF - 50KB]
• PowerPoint slides, which can be tailored for your use by adding specific data, case studies, and other useful information [PPT - 4.8MB]
• At-a-glance, which provides an overview of the major issues, CDC's role in reducing foodborne diseases, and future directions and opportunities [PDF - 1000KB]
• Vital Signs, which provides the latest findings about what can be done to reduce foodborne illness and why it is a public health priority.
• Foodborne Illness Surveillance Systems
• Summary of major related published articles [PDF - 210KB]

Supplemental materials include:

• CDC Works for You 24/7 – Deadly Listeria Outbreak Halted in Record Time
• Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance Resources
• Food Safety Policy Issues [PDF - 206KB]
• Snapshot of major media coverage [PDF - 267KB]
• Select bibliography [PDF - 194KB]
• Scientific articles
  • MMWR: Surveillance for Foodborne Disease Outbreaks – United States, 2008
  • EID: Foodborne Illness Acquired in the United States—Major Pathogens
  • EID: Foodborne Illness Acquired in the United States—Unspecified Agents
  • Vital Signs: Incidence and Trends of Infection with Pathogens Transmitted Commonly through Food—Foodborne Diseases Surveillance Network, 10 U.S. Sites, 1996–2010
  • Salmonella enteric Serotype Enteridis and Eggs: A National Epidemic in the United States [PDF - 135KB]
  • Factors Associated with Food Workers Working while Experiencing Vomiting or Diarrhea [PDF - 189KB]
• Fact sheets
  • Foodborne Illness Surveillance Systems [PDF - 102KB]
  • 2011 Estimates of Foodborne Illness Fact Sheets
    • CDC 2011 Estimates: Findings
    • Improvements in 2011 Estimates
    • Data and Methodological Differences, 2011 and 1999
  • Trends in Foodborne Illness in the United States, 1996–2010 [PDF - 378KB]
  • Norovirus
    • Norovirus Illness: Key Facts
    • Norovirus: Facts for Food Handlers
    • Surveillance & Disease Burden [PDF - 1.80MB]
  • Environmental Health Services [PDF - 155 KB]
  • Ill Food Worker Study [PDF - 110KB]