Broad Group of Stakeholders Asks Congress to Fund CDC Food Safety Program

CFA joined consumer advocates and representatives of the food industry in asking congressional leaders to increase funding for the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) and the other critical food safety programs at the Centers for Disease Prevention & Control. Historically, FoodNet has actively tracked laboratory-confirmed cases caused by eight major foodborne pathogens: Salmonella, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), Campylobacter, Cyclospora, Listeria, Shigella, Vibrio and Yersinia. FoodNet partner Maryland Department of Health delivered key evidence linking Boar's Head deli meats to a Listeria outbreak that caused ten deaths in 2024, and FoodNet partner Connecticut Department of Health tied a cluster of Campylobacter infections in 2024 to raw milk sold by the Nature View Dairy, leading to a stop sale order and recall. However, CDC announced in July of 2025 that it has reduced FoodNet surveillance to just two pathogens-Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC)-in an effort to conserve resources. The group's letter urges Congress to increase funding for CDC's food safety program to allow the agency to restore FoodNet and maintain various other foodborne illness surveillance programs.