Foodborne-illness outbreaks have been in the news all year. The recent recall of more than a half-billion eggs contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) – which has reportedly resulted in more than 1,600 infections nationwide in 2010, to date, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – is just the latest instance in which a common food has posed a serious public-health risk. Christopher R. Braden, M.D, director of CDC's Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, explains that although only 11 states reported clusters of confirmed illnesses as part of the investigation of the SE outbreak from eggs, the reality is that any state may have cases associated with the outbreak – the largest SE outbreak on record at the CDC.
| States with reported cases of Salmonella from contaminated food | |
| States with reported cases of pathogenic E. coli from contaminated food | |
| States with reported cases of Listeria from contaminated food | |
| States with no reported* outbreaks of foodborne illness from contaminated food |
*Note: This map and its accompanying chart represent only a small percentage of the foodborne illness picture. For every foodborne illness case that is reported, the CDC reports that there are as many as 38 more that are not reported or lab-confirmed. In addition, procedures of public reporting vary from state-to-state.
The egg recall followed other major outbreaks that resulted from Salmonella-contaminated alfalfa sprouts and bagged lettuce. Contaminated imported red-and-black pepper sickened people in a total of 45 states.
To see a state-by-state breakdown of confirmed illnesses that were a result of consuming food regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, please see the chart below.
2010 State-by-State List of Foodborne Illness Outbreaks by FDA-Regulated Food Source
Click here to download PDF 
Shredded Romaine Lettuce: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2010/ecoli_o145/index.html
Milk, Orange Juice, Fruit Drinks: Oregon Health Authority, Oregon Department of Human Services: http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/news/2010news/2010-0818a.pdf
Soft, Mexican Cheeses: Washington State Department of Health: http://www.doh.wa.gov/Publicat/2010_news/10-034.htm
Oregon Health Authority, Oregon Department of Human Services: http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/news/2010news/2010-0219a.pdf
Chopped Celery: Texas Department of State Health Services: http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/news/releases/20101020.shtm
Pickles: Cook County Department of Public Health: http://www.cookcountypublichealth.org/
Additional Sources: National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases; National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, and Enteric Diseases
In January 2011, President Barack Obama signed the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) into law, signaling the first major update to our nation’s food safety oversight framework since the Great Depression. Despite widespread support for the legislation and its implementation, the Obama administration still has not issued all of the proposed rules under FSMA.
More info"The Food and Drug Administration will not reduce food inspections because of budget cuts, despite warning earlier that it could be forced to eliminate thousands of inspections by Sept. 30."
More info"Twenty-two weeks. That’s how long it took federal health officials to determine the contaminated food source after the first person was infected in a 2011 outbreak of salmonella that swept across 34 states, sickened 136 people and led to one of the largest national recalls of ground turkey."
More infoA multistate outbreak of Salmonella Heidelberg infections linked to ground turkey in 2011 sickened 136 people, causing 37 hospitalizations and one death. The Pew Charitable Trusts' analysis of the outbreak found numerous inadequacies in the foodborne illness surveillance system that, if addressed, could help to prevent illnesses and, in some cases, deaths.
More infoAn examination of a Salmonella Heidelberg outbreak linked to ground turkey illustrates that health authorities must be more aggressive in their efforts to detect and respond to foodborne illnesses, according to a new report by The Pew Charitable Trusts, titled “Too Slow: An Analysis of the 2011 Salmonella Ground Turkey Outbreak and Recommendations for Improving Detection and Response.” In all, the contaminated food sickened a reported 136 people in the United States, hospitalized 37 and killed one, according to government data.
More info"Six years ago, Bend resident Chrissy Christoferson's ten-month-old son suffered a ten-day struggle with what first appeared to be a touch of the flu."
More info"Portlander Joe Day tearfully recalled the year his family spent Thanksgiving in a hospital cafeteria, as his sister, suffering from e coli, fought for her life several floors above."
More infoMy name is Jennifer Exley, and I reside in Centennial, Colorado. I am the daughter of Herbert Stevens, who was deeply impacted by listeria-contaminated cantaloupe in August 2011. As you well know, 147 people were sickened and 33 people died in that outbreak — the deadliest in 25 years. My father was one of the so-called lucky survivors. His health and quality of life was, and remains, seriously affected because of something he ate.
More info''Several hundred farmers, regulators and consumers from Alaska to North Dakota to California gathered in Portland on Wednesday to listen to federal plans to overhaul the food safety system."
More infoThe Obama administration has taken an important step by releasing the draft rules central to implementing the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), but it must do more. Important draft regulations focused on the safety of imported foods are still awaiting release. These rules are especially important since about two-thirds of fruits and vegetables and 80 percent of seafood consumed in the United States come from abroad.
More infoOn Thursday, February 28 and Friday, March 1, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will hold public hearings in Washington, D.C., on FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) draft rules released earlier this year. The public will also have the opportunity to testify at agency meetings in Chicago and Portland on March 11-12 and March 27-28, respectively.
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