by Annette Pinder

Eggs, lettuce, cheese, fruit, and other everyday foods frequently appear in recall notices and outbreak investigations. The causes include Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria, Cyclospora, and other potentially dangerous organisms.  

Foodborne illness is certainly not new. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 48 million Americans become sick from foodborne illnesses each year, 128,000 are hospitalized, and approximately 3,000 die. However, the enormous size and complexity of our food system have changed. Produce grown in one state or country may be processed elsewhere and then shipped to supermarkets and restaurants across the nation. A contaminated ingredient can be used in many different products before anyone knows there is a problem. That means contamination at a single farm, processing facility, or distributor can affect thousands of people.

Food can become contaminated at any point along the way. Irrigation water, soil, animals, and farm equipment can introduce harmful organisms. Processing equipment can spread contamination from one product to another. Improper refrigeration during transportation or storage allows some bacteria to multiply. Changing weather patterns add to the challenge. Flooding and heavy rain can carry pathogens into agricultural fields and water supplies, while warmer temperatures favor the growth of certain microorganisms. However, we are getting better at detecting outbreaks. Advanced laboratory testing and genetic sequencing allow public health investigators to connect illnesses in different parts of the country that might once have seemed unrelated. But detecting outbreaks after people become sick isn’t enough.

he U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees most of the nation’s food supply, and inspections are a key part of protecting it. However, a 2025 Government Accountability Office report found that the FDA has failed to meet mandated inspection targets for domestic and foreign food facilities since 2018. FDA officials cited limited workforce capacity as a major reason. Federal workforce reductions in 2025 raised additional concerns. While the Department of Health and Human Services said frontline FDA inspectors were not targeted, employees who supported inspections and food-safety laboratories were affected, including staff involved in arranging inspection travel. Some positions were later restored. Inspectors depend on laboratory scientists, administrative staff, translators, travel coordinators, and other personnel to do their jobs effectively.  

The solution isn’t simply more recalls. The goal should be to prevent contaminated food from reaching consumers in the first place. That requires adequate staffing for inspections and laboratories, strong state and local public health departments, safer agricultural water, rigorous sanitation in processing plants, appropriate oversight of imported food, and better tracking of products throughout the supply chain. Traceability is especially important. When illnesses begin to appear, investigators spend valuable time determining what patients ate and where the food originated. Quickly tracing a package of lettuce, a carton of eggs, or another product through distributors and processors back to its source helps remove dangerous food sooner. 

While consumers can’t prevent contamination that occurs before food reaches our homes, we can reduce our risk by washing hands, countertops, and utensils frequently; rinsing fruits and vegetables under running water; and keeping raw meat, poultry, and seafood separate from foods that won’t be cooked. Don’t wash raw poultry, which can spread bacteria around the kitchen; use a food thermometer; refrigerate perishables promptly; and pay attention to food recalls. People age 65 and older, children under 5, pregnant women, and those with weakened immune systems are especially vulnerable to serious foodborne illness. 

This September, Food Safety Education Month, is a good reminder that food safety doesn’t begin in the kitchen. It begins on farms and continues through processing plants, transportation systems, warehouses, supermarkets, and restaurants. Consumers have a role to play, but ensuring a safe food supply is also an essential public health responsibility.
 

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Government Accountability Office.