Food safety is a growing concern for many Americans, and for good reason: In 2024, the United States saw its deadliest outbreak of foodborne illness in more than a decade, when 10 people died of listeria linked to deli meat from a Boar’s Head plant in Virginia. In total, 60 people from 19 states were hospitalized, making this the largest listeria outbreak since 2011.
Foodborne illness is surprisingly common. Each year, approximately one in six Americans gets sick from contaminated food. Most manage the symptoms of gastrointestinal distress at home without seeking medical care.
Barbara Kowalcyk, PhD, MA, director of the Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security at George Washington University, explains that many cases are sporadic, meaning that they are not associated with an outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines an outbreak as occurring when two or more people are sickened by the same contaminated food or drink.
Contamination can come from bacteria, viruses, or parasites that get introduced to food before it makes its way to your plate. Raw or undercooked animal products are a frequent source of foodborne illness, in part because animals can often harbor harmful bacteria, like E. coli, without showing signs of disease.
But animal products aren’t the only vector. Vegetables and fruits can be contaminated in the field by way of fertilization or from being washed with unclean water. And restaurants and processing facilities can spread foodborne illness due to inadequate sanitation, cross-contamination, or sick employees.
Although larger outbreaks, like the one from Boar’s Head, are relatively rare, they demonstrate that foodborne illness can be deadly. And while fewer nationwide food recalls were issued in 2024 than in the previous year, the number of hospitalizations and deaths associated with outbreaks nearly doubled — suggesting that contaminated food may be passing through gaps in food-safety surveillance.
Food Safety at Risk
Many food outbreaks are detected through PulseNet, a nationwide laboratory network created in 1996 by the CDC. Samples are collected from sick people who seek medical care, and bacterial DNA “fingerprints” are uploaded to a server to quickly identify illnesses with a common source.
If a common source is identified, a recall is issued, and the product is pulled from market. Recalls are often voluntarily performed by the manufacturer or distributor when they’re made aware of unsafe products, but a recall can also be coordinated through either the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The USDA handles recalls of meat, poultry, and egg products; all other recalls are coordinated through the FDA.
Still, the vast majority of the 48 million Americans who get sick each year from a foodborne illness do not have an identified outbreak source, according to Kowalcyk. “That doesn’t mean they are not part of an outbreak,” she explains, “but [that] we haven’t been able to put those pieces of the puzzle together.”
That puzzle is only becoming more challenging. Citing recent cuts at both the CDC and the FDA, Kowalcyk warns that the ability of government agencies to communicate quickly and effectively is at risk — which could prolong outbreaks. “I’m concerned that we’re going to see a weakening across the entire system,” she says.
One of the targets of these cuts is the CDC surveillance network FoodNet. Here, the CDC, FDA, USDA, and various state health departments once worked together to track eight common foodborne pathogens; now, that surveillance has been reduced to only two pathogens: Salmonella and Shiga toxin–producing E. coli.
Kowalcyk predicts that these changes could lead to the identification of fewer outbreaks, which may be more widespread than hampered tracing efforts are able to determine. “A lot of food safety is prevention,” she explains. “But it’s hard to see prevention, so it gets cut quickly.”
Government agencies don’t directly control food safety, explains Penn State University senior food-safety extension associate Martin Bucknavage. That responsibility rests with companies that process, prepare, and distribute food. “Government inspection is still important,” he says, “and I have faith in the people who work for these agencies in doing a good job.”
7 Tips for Food Safety
While food safety can seem like an overwhelming problem that’s outside of your control, there are vital steps you can take to protect yourself and your loved ones.
1) Understand your risk. Some people are at greater risk of severe complications from foodborne illness. These cases occur most often among those with weakened immune systems, pregnant or elderly people, young children, and people taking immunosuppressive drugs. If you or someone in your home falls into one of these categories, it’s worth taking extra care around food safety.
2) Know the most common sources. Some foods are more frequently tied to foodborne illness than others. Raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs should be handled safely to avoid cross-contamination, and they should be cooked thoroughly to kill any hazardous bacteria.
Avoid unpasteurized dairy products, which could harbor dangerous pathogens even if they look, smell, and taste just fine. One 2017 study found that raw dairy caused 840 times more illnesses and 45 times more hospitalizations than pasteurized milk, which is heated to eliminate harmful bacteria.
3) Cook at home. One recent study found that restaurants were by far the most common setting for exposure to foodborne illness, accounting for nearly 40 percent of reported outbreaks between 2021 and 2023. “There’s only so much a consumer can do to protect themselves from illnesses that come from prepared food,” says Kowalcyk.
While cooking your own food at home doesn’t eliminate your risk, it can significantly reduce it — especially if you’re careful about washing your hands, surfaces, and tools as you move through food prep. (Get more tips for at-home food safety at “8 Food Safety Myths.”)
4) Wash your fruits and vegetables. The CDC estimates that 46 percent of foodborne illnesses can be attributed to produce. Unlike dairy, fresh vegetables and fruits don’t undergo pasteurization — and, unlike meat, they’re often eaten raw and not heated to a temperature that would kill most bacteria. It’s important to wash and scrub all produce under running water to remove any surface contaminants, and to store cut, peeled, and cooked fruits and vegetables at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower to limit bacterial growth. (For more tips, see “From Harvest to Home: A Guide to Handling Produce.”)
5) Get a kitchen thermometer. This relatively inexpensive tool is the only way to ensure that foods, especially animal protein products like poultry and beef, are cooked to a temperature adequate for killing common pathogens. “Cooking without a thermometer is like driving without a speedometer,” says Bucknavage. “You need to use one.”
6) Use common sense. You can avoid a lot of unnecessary risk simply by trusting your instincts when it comes to food safety. “If a food doesn’t look right, don’t eat it,” Bucknavage advises. “If there’s a loss of temperature control, throw it out. If a restaurant doesn’t seem sanitary, don’t go there.”
7) Consider the bigger picture. As consumers, we all have to determine our own individual risk tolerance and decide how to balance any fears we may have about food safety within the bigger picture of our overall health. For instance, leafy greens have been a source of pathogens like E. coli and Campylobacter — but they’re also incredibly nutritious.
“Overall, there is a very low probability of foodborne illness when you consider the wide usage of these products,” says Bucknavage. “And I would never recommend that someone avoid eating leafy greens. We cannot become paralyzed by concern.”
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