A U.S. public health surveillance system released preliminary data on foodborne illness trends for 2019. The report comes from the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet), which monitors infections in 10 U.S. sites. It tracks illnesses caused by bacteria commonly spread through food.
The report found that in 2019, the incidence of infections from three specific bacteria—Listeria, Salmonella, and Shigella—remained unchanged compared to previous years. However, the incidence of infections from all other pathogens tracked by the FoodNet system increased during the same period. The report did not provide specific numbers or reasons for these trends.
This is a surveillance report, not a research study designed to find causes. It simply describes what was observed in the monitoring system. The data is preliminary and does not explain why some infections increased while others did not. Readers should see this as a snapshot of public health monitoring, not as proof of new risks or the effectiveness of safety measures. More analysis is needed to understand these trends.