Skip to main content
          Skip to FDA Search
          Skip to in this section menu
          Skip to footer links


U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government

					Here’s how you know
          			Dot gov**The .gov means it’s official.**Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.
							      SSL**The site is secure.** The **https://** ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. 
			U.S. Food and Drug Administration
				
        Search
            Menu
							
						Search FDA
									
									Submit search 
		Featured
							Contact FDA
	                FDA Guidance Documents
	                Recalls, Market Withdrawals and Safety Alerts
	                Press Announcements
	                Warning Letters
	                Advisory Committees
	                En Español

					Products
            Food
							Drugs
							Medical Devices
							Radiation-Emitting Products
							Vaccines, Blood, and Biologics
							Animal and Veterinary
							Cosmetics
							Tobacco ProductsTopics
            About FDA
							Combination Products
							Regulatory Information
							Safety
							Emergency Preparedness
							International Programs
							News and Events
							Training and Continuing Education
							Inspections and Compliance
							Science and ResearchInformation For
            Consumers
	            Patients
	            Industry
	            Health Professionals
	            Federal, State and Local Officials 
 In this section:

                CFSAN Constituent Updates

CFSAN Constituent Updates Home
          Food
          News & Events from CFSAN
          CFSAN Constituent Updates
          Release of a New Report on the Sources of Foodborne Illnesses for 2016 from the Interagency Food Safety Analytics CollaborationCFSAN Constituent Updates Release of a New Report on the Sources of Foodborne Illnesses for 2016 from the Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration
  
  	
    Share
    Post
    Linkedin

    Email
    PrintConstituent Update

November 9, 2018

Today, the Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration (IFSAC) released a report titled “Foodborne illness source attribution estimates for 2016 for *Salmonella*, *Escherichia co*li O157, *Listeria monocytogenes*, and *Campylobacter*using multi-year outbreak surveillance data, United States.” The authors used outbreak data to produce new estimates for foods responsible for foodborne illnesses caused by four pathogens in 2016. CDC estimates that, together, these four pathogens cause 1.9 million foodborne illnesses in the United States each year.

The analysis uses a method developed by IFSAC to estimate foodborne illness source attribution, which is the process of estimating the degree to which specific foods and food categories are responsible for foodborne illnesses. In addition to the 2016 estimates, IFSAC posted estimates for 2014 and 2015 on its website, reflecting IFSAC’s goal to provide annual updates of these estimates using data from the most recently available outbreak data.

For the 2016 report, IFSAC analyzed data from just over 1,000 foodborne disease outbreaks that occurred from 1998 through 2016 to assess which categories of foods were most responsible for *Salmonella*, *E. coli* O157, *Listeria monocytogenes*, and *Campylobacter*infections. The pathogens were chosen because of the frequency or severity of the illnesses they cause, and because targeted interventions can have a major impact in reducing them. The implicated foods were divided into 17 categories for the analysis, and the method gives the greatest weight to the most recent five years of outbreak data (2012–2016). Of note in the 2016 report:

*Salmonella*illnesses came from a wide variety of foods.
	*E. coli*O157 illnesses were most often linked to Vegetable Row Crops (such as leafy greens) and Beef.
	*Listeria monocytogenes* illnesses were most often linked to Dairy products and Fruits.
	Dairy and Fruits remain the top two categories with the highest estimated attribution percentages, but the difference between the two categories is not statistically significant.
		There was an increase in the estimated attribution of *Listeria*illnesses to Vegetable Row Crops from 3.4% in 2013 to 12.5 % in 2016 due to the impact of a large multi-state outbreak in 2015 linked to prepackaged lettuce.
	*Campylobacter*illnesses were most often linked to Chicken after removing Dairy outbreaks from the estimates.
	Most foodborne *Campylobacter*outbreaks were associated with unpasteurized milk, which is not widely consumed, and those outbreaks likely over-represent Dairy as a source of *Campylobacter*illness.
		For 2016, Chicken had a significantly higher estimated attribution percentage than the other non-Dairy food categories. The adjusted Chicken percentage increased from 9.5% to 30.3% after removing Dairy.The updated estimates combined with other data might help shape agency priorities and support the development of regulations and performance standards and measures, among other activities. As more data become available and methods evolve, attribution estimates may improve. Updates to these estimates will enhance IFSAC’s efforts to inform and engage stakeholders, and further their ability to assess whether prevention measures are working.

IFSAC was created in 2011 by three federal agencies—the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS)—to improve coordination of federal food safety analytic efforts and address cross-cutting priorities for food safety data collection, analysis, and use. For more information, visit IFSAC projects or email IFSAC@fda.hhs.gov.

                                                                                  Content current as of:
      11/09/2018
              
              
Regulated Product(s)
		 Food & BeveragesCFSAN Constituent Updates
 
 Footer Links
    FDA Archive
          About FDA
          Accessibility
      Visitor Information
          Website Policies / Privacy
          No FEAR Act
          Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
      FOIA
          HHS.gov
          USA.gov
    Contact FDA
      Follow FDA on Facebook
      Follow FDA on X
      Follow FDA on Instagram
      Follow FDA on LinkedIn
      View FDA videos on YouTube
      Subscribe to FDA RSS feeds
    FDA Homepage
    Contact Number
      1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332) Back toTop