A new government report has found that approximately 10 million Americans suffer from foodborne illnesses each year caused by just six major pathogens, resulting in over 53,300 hospitalizations and 900 deaths annually. The forthcoming Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study focuses on illnesses caused by Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter, Clostridium perfringens, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), and norovirus.
The economic impact of foodborne illness is substantial, costing Americans an estimated $75 billion annually in 2023 dollars. These costs encompass medical care, lost productivity, and premature deaths, including complications from secondary chronic illnesses that develop after the initial infection. The financial burden extends beyond immediate medical expenses to include long-term health consequences that may affect individuals for years after their initial illness.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) report highlights significant challenges in tracking and preventing foodborne illness. According to the CDC, only a small fraction of cases are diagnosed and reported to public health authorities. For instance, for every laboratory-confirmed case of Salmonella, an estimated 29 cases go undetected. Many infected individuals never seek medical treatment, leading to substantial underreporting of cases. This gap in reporting creates challenges for public health officials attempting to understand the true scope of foodborne illness in America.
The complexity of the U.S. food safety system presents additional challenges. At least 30 federal laws govern food safety and quality, with 15 different federal agencies sharing administrative responsibilities. This system is further supplemented by state, local, tribal, and territorial authorities, each potentially operating under their own laws and regulations. The multi-layered oversight structure creates coordination challenges and potential gaps in coverage.
Key federal agencies have struggled to meet their food safety goals. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) aimed to reduce the proportion of poultry samples containing harmful Salmonella serotypes by 4 percent. Instead, these samples increased by 22 percent during the measurement period. This significant deviation from the target highlights the difficulties agencies face in implementing effective food safety measures.
The federal government’s Healthy People 2030 initiative, a collaborative effort including the CDC, FDA, and FSIS, has also faced difficulties. The working group overseeing this initiative reports limited progress, with six key metrics for reducing foodborne illness outbreaks still under development. These metrics lack baseline data for measuring progress, despite being halfway through the initiative’s 10-year cycle. The absence of established metrics hampers efforts to track and improve food safety outcomes.
The scope of the problem is substantial. Between 2011 and 2022, over 9,000 foodborne illness outbreaks were reported across all 50 states. The CDC’s surveillance system relies heavily on voluntary reporting from public health authorities nationwide. However, resource limitations at state and local levels often prevent thorough investigation and reporting of potential cases. This decentralized reporting system creates challenges in maintaining comprehensive nationwide surveillance of foodborne illness incidents.
The GAO has designated federal oversight of food safety as a high-risk issue since 2007. In 2017, the office recommended that the Executive Office of the President develop and implement a national strategy for overseeing food safety. This strategy would aim to address ongoing fragmentation in the system and improve coordination among agencies. The proposed national strategy would create frameworks for better inter-agency collaboration and more efficient resource allocation.
As of January 2025, the Office of Management and Budget has indicated there are no plans to create such a national strategy. The GAO maintains that a comprehensive strategy could strengthen oversight of the nation’s food supply and reduce both the economic and public health impacts of foodborne illness. The lack of a coordinated national approach continues to hamper efforts to improve food safety outcomes.
The U.S. food supply, while generally considered safe, continues to face significant oversight challenges. The fragmented nature of the federal food safety system has led to inconsistent oversight, coordination problems, and inefficient resource allocation. These issues persist despite the substantial human and economic toll of foodborne illness. The current system’s complexity makes it difficult to implement unified approaches to food safety challenges.
The GAO’s investigation included visits to laboratory facilities at the CDC, FDA, and FSIS, along with interviews with agency officials. Their findings stress the need for improved coordination and more effective strategies to combat foodborne illness in the United States. The laboratory visits revealed the sophisticated detection and tracking systems in place, while also highlighting the challenges of coordinating responses across multiple agencies.
This report comes at a time when food safety remains a critical public health concern, affecting millions of Americans annually. The CDC’s upcoming study on foodborne illness is expected to provide updated insights into the scope and impact of this persistent public health challenge. The findings may help inform future policy decisions and resource allocation for food safety initiatives.
The challenges identified in the GAO report suggest that significant reforms may be necessary to improve the effectiveness of food safety oversight in the United States. Without a coordinated national strategy, agencies continue to face obstacles in their efforts to reduce foodborne illness and protect public health. The economic and human costs of these systemic inefficiencies underscore the importance of addressing these longstanding challenges in the nation’s food safety system.
Commenting on this article, the nation’s leading food poisoning lawyer said, “The United States has some of the strongest food safety laws and regulations in the world with rigorous inspections, recalls, and labeling requirements. However, ongoing challenges such as contaminations and limited resources means that there are always areas for continued improvement.”
