TL;DR
A study by researchers from the FDA, CDC and USDA found limited progress toward U.S. foodborne illness reduction goals. The latest available data show rates for Campylobacter, STEC and Listeria above their Healthy People 2030 baselines, while Salmonella was nearly unchanged; none of the four targets has been met.
Researchers from the FDA, CDC and USDA found that the United States has made “none to very slight” progress toward national foodborne illness reduction goals, with none of four Healthy People 2030 targets met. The latest available data show infection rates above their baselines for Campylobacter, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) and Listeria monocytogenes, while Salmonella incidence remained nearly level.
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The study, published in the Journal of Food Protection, examined nearly four decades of national food safety objectives under the Healthy People initiative. Researchers analyzed historical surveillance data, primarily from the CDC’s Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, to assess infection trends against targets for four pathogens. Food safety objectives were first included in Healthy People 2000.
For Healthy People 2030, the study compared the most recent available rates with baselines calculated from 2016–2018 data. Campylobacter incidence rose from 16.2 to 20.6 infections per 100,000 people, against a target of 10.9. The latest Campylobacter figure covers 2023; the other three latest figures cover 2024.
Salmonella incidence was 15.2 per 100,000, little changed from its 15.3 baseline and above a target of 11.5. STEC rose from 4.6 to 5.7 per 100,000, compared with a target of 3.7. Listeria monocytogenes increased from 0.27 to 0.36 per 100,000, while its target is 0.22. The researchers also reported that none of the Healthy People 2020 food safety targets were met.
The Cost of Missed Safety Targets
The findings concern infections that can lead to medical treatment, missed work and, in some cases, death or later health problems. The research report cites a 2025 Government Accountability Office estimate that more than 9,000 foodborne illness outbreaks were reported across all 50 states between 2011 and 2022. It says foodborne illness costs Americans an estimated $75 billion annually in 2023 dollars, including medical care, lost productivity and premature deaths, as well as costs related to secondary chronic illnesses.
The study does not establish why the measured rates have failed to fall to target levels, or assign responsibility to a particular industry or policy. Its results do show that the national goals are not being met in the latest data. For public health agencies, that makes the trends relevant to decisions about surveillance, prevention and how progress is measured. For readers, the figures offer a snapshot of the reported burden, not an individual estimate of risk from a specific food or meal.
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Four Decades of National Goals
Healthy People is a national initiative led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services with public and private partners. It sets health objectives for each decade. The effort dates to a 1979 report, “Healthy People: The Surgeon General’s Report on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention”; Healthy People 2030 is the initiative’s fourth decade to include food safety objectives.
The researchers say changes in surveillance methods, diagnostic technologies and target-setting practices complicate comparisons across decades. Earlier objectives used single-year baseline rates, while more recent targets have used three-year pooled averages and more rigorous statistical methods. The study therefore documents progress against the goals as defined for each period, but the methods are not identical throughout the full historical record.
““none to very slight” progress toward foodborne illness reduction targets”
— The research team from the FDA, CDC and USDA
Limits of the Available Data
The study’s latest figures are not all from the same year: Campylobacter data cover 2023, while Salmonella, STEC and Listeria figures cover 2024. The supplied report does not provide a cause for the increase in three pathogen rates, nor does it establish whether any particular change in food production, handling, testing or reporting explains the pattern.
Comparisons across decades also require caution because surveillance and target-setting methods have changed. The available summary does not give a detailed breakdown by state, food source, age group or other population characteristics. It is not clear from the report when all four target rates will next be updated or whether the goals will be revised.
Monitoring the 2030 Benchmarks
The Healthy People 2030 objectives remain the benchmarks used in the study, and future surveillance updates will show whether the reported rates move closer to them. The researchers’ findings reinforce the need to interpret later figures alongside the methods and years used to produce them. The report does not announce a new federal intervention or a change to the targets.
The next measurable development will be updated pathogen-specific incidence data and any further analysis by public health agencies. Until then, the latest available figures show that all four rates remain above their Healthy People 2030 targets, with three above their baselines and Salmonella nearly unchanged.
Key Questions
What did the researchers find?
The FDA, CDC and USDA researchers characterized national progress toward foodborne illness reduction targets as “none to very slight.” None of the four Healthy People 2030 pathogen targets examined has been met.
Which infection rates increased?
Compared with their 2016–2018 baselines, reported incidence increased for Campylobacter, STEC and Listeria monocytogenes. Salmonella was nearly unchanged.
What years do the latest figures cover?
The latest Campylobacter data cover 2023. The latest figures for Salmonella, STEC and Listeria cover 2024.
Why are historical comparisons difficult?
The researchers say surveillance systems, diagnostic technologies and target-setting approaches changed over time. Earlier goals often used one-year baselines, while newer ones use pooled averages and different statistical methods.
Does the study explain why rates rose?
No cause is established in the report. It describes the observed trends but does not identify a specific food, practice, policy or other factor as the reason for the increases.
Source: foodsafetynews.com
