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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Food Safety Workgroup

Lead Federal Agencies

Members of the Food Safety (FS Workgroup) have expertise in areas including epidemiology, microbiology, veterinary medicine, environmental health, social sciences, and food science. The workgroup developed the objectives related to foodborne illness and safe food handling, and they’ll provide data to track progress toward achieving these objectives throughout the decade. This workgroup has been part of the Healthy People initiative since the 1980s.

Read more about the Food Safety Workgroup

Read more about the Food Safety Workgroup

Objective Status

  • 0 Target met or exceeded
  • 2 Improving
  • 2 Little or no detectable change
  • 0 Getting worse
  • 6 Baseline only
  • 11 Developmental
  • 0 Research

Learn more about objective types

Food Safety Workgroup Objectives (21)

Reduce infections caused by Listeria — FS‑03
Improving
Reduce infections caused by Salmonella — FS‑04
Improving
Reduce infections caused by Campylobacter — FS‑01
Little or no detectable change
Reduce infections caused by Shiga toxin-producing E. coli — FS‑02
Little or no detectable change
Prevent an increase in the proportion of nontyphoidal Salmonella infections that are resistant to multiple drug classes — FS‑05
Baseline only
Prevent an increase in the proportion of macrolide antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter infections — FS‑06
Baseline only
Increase the proportion of people who wash their hands and surfaces often when preparing food — FS‑07
Baseline only
Increase the proportion of people who use separate cutting boards when preparing food — FS‑08
Baseline only
Increase the proportion of people who cook food to a safe temperature — FS‑09
Baseline only
Increase the proportion of people who refrigerate food within 2 hours after cooking — FS‑10
Baseline only
Reduce outbreaks of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, Campylobacter, Listeria, and Salmonella infections linked to beef — FS‑D01
Developmental
Reduce outbreaks of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, Campylobacter, Listeria, and Salmonella infections linked to dairy — FS‑D02
Developmental
Reduce outbreaks of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, Campylobacter, Listeria, and Salmonella infections linked to fruit and nuts — FS‑D03
Developmental
Reduce outbreaks of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, Campylobacter, Listeria, and Salmonella infections linked to leafy greens — FS‑D04
Developmental
Reduce outbreaks of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, Campylobacter, Listeria, and Salmonella infections linked to poultry — FS‑D05
Developmental
Reduce the number of norovirus outbreaks — FS‑D06
Developmental
Reduce the number of food allergy reactions requiring emergency treatment — FS‑D07
Developmental
Increase the proportion of delis where employees wash their hands properly — FS‑D08
Developmental
Increase the proportion of delis where surfaces that touch food are properly cleaned and sanitized — FS‑D09
Developmental
Increase the proportion of delis where foods are refrigerated at a safe temperature — FS‑D10
Developmental
Increase the proportion of delis where hot foods are kept at a safe temperature — FS‑D11
Developmental

About the Workgroup

Approach and Rationale

Foodborne illness is common, costly, and preventable. Each year, 1 in 6 Americans get sick from contaminated food.1 These illnesses are estimated to cost the U.S. economy more than $50 billion each year.2 Core objectives selected by the FS Workgroup aim to reduce new cases of foodborne illnesses and prevent an increase in foodborne infections that are resistant to certain antibiotics. Antibiotic-resistant foodborne infections cause more serious health outcomes and are more expensive to treat.3 In addition, the FS Workgroup selected objectives designed to increase the proportion of the U.S. population that follows key food safety practices. These objectives will help to identify opportunities for improving the country’s food safety system from farm to table.

Understanding Food Safety

Safer food promises healthier, longer lives and less costly health care. Anyone can get a foodborne illness, but some groups are at greater risk for hospitalizations and death from these illnesses — for example, children younger than 5 years, people older than 65 years, pregnant women, and people with reduced immunity.4 Raising awareness of the risks among these groups can help decrease disparities, and understanding how to prevent foodborne outbreaks can help decrease their impact nationwide.

Emerging issues in Food Safety

Foodborne hazards — including germs, undeclared allergens, and chemical contaminants — can enter the food supply at any point from farm to table. Prevention activities and collaborative efforts by the food industry, regulatory and public health agencies, and consumers are needed to reduce foodborne illness in the United States. It’s also important to understand factors and challenges in keeping our food safe, including: 

  • Difficulties in identifying the food source of illness
  • Cultural differences in how food is prepared
  • Changes in production practices
  • Increases in food imports
  • Risk communication

From processes on the farm to practices in the kitchen and every point in between, everyone plays an important role in improving food safety.

Learn More

Recalls and Outbreaks (Foodsafety.gov)
Food (FDA)
Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA)
Food Safety (CDC)
FoodNet (CDC)
National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System for Enteric Bacteria (CDC)
National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (FDA)
Enteric Diseases Epidemiology Branch (CDC)
How Food Gets Contaminated — The Food Production Chain (CDC)

Citations

1.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Estimates of Foodborne Illness in the United States. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/foodborneburden/index.html

2.

Scharff, R.L. (2012). Economic Burden from Health Losses due to Foodborne Illness in the United States. Journal of Food Protection, 75(1), 123-131. doi: 10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-11-058

3.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). CDC’s 2019 Antibiotic Resistance Threats Report. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/pdf/threats-report/2019-ar-threats-report-508.pdf [PDF - 20.8 MB]

4.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). People With a Higher Risk of Food Poisoning. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/people-at-risk-food-poisoning.html