CDC quietly scales back surveillance initiative for food safety
By avagrace // 2025-09-02
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  • The CDC reduced its FoodNet monitoring program, now tracking only Salmonella and shigatoxigenic E. coli, abandoning detection of six other dangerous pathogens (Campylobacter, Cyclospora, Listeria, Shigella, Vibrio, Yersinia). Critics warn this will blindside public health defenses, reversing decades of progress in food safety.
  • Established in 1996, FoodNet provided active surveillance – sending officials to labs in 10 states to confirm cases rather than relying on passive reporting. It revealed 76 million annual foodborne illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths, shaping modern food safety policies.
  • The CDC claims behind the scenes that stagnant budgets (stuck at $72 million) forced the reduction, but experts call this a dangerous justification for dismantling an early warning system. Without active surveillance, rising outbreaks may go undetected, spreading further before action is taken.
  • Advocates like Barbara Kowalcyk, who lost her son to E. coli, warn this erodes decades of progress in food safety laws. Some fear deliberate undercounting will be used to justify deregulation, creating a false illusion of safety.
  • Maryland will continue tracking all pathogens, but Colorado warns it may scale back if federal funding drops in 2026. Georgia reported not even receiving official notice from the CDC, highlighting disorganization in implementation.
In a move that has alarmed food safety experts and public health advocates, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has quietly scaled back a cornerstone program responsible for detecting dangerous foodborne illnesses. Nearly two months ago without public announcement, the federal-state partnership known as the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) drastically reduced its monitoring efforts. The move, which took effect on July 1, means the program now focuses only on detecting Salmonella and a dangerous form of Escherichia coli known as shigatoxigenic E. coli. Gone is the active, systematic search for six other pathogens: Campylobacter, Cyclospora, Listeria, Shigella, Vibrio and Yersinia. Each of these pathogens are capable of causing severe, sometimes fatal, illnesses – particularly in the most vulnerable populations. Critics fear that this decision will blindside the nation's defenses against contaminated food and reverse decades of hard-won progress. To understand the gravity of this retreat, one must look back. (Related: Trump's CDC nominee pledges focus on infectious diseases, support for MAHA agenda in Senate hearing.) FoodNet was initiated in 1996 as a direct response to catastrophic outbreaks that revealed gaping holes in the nation’s ability to track foodborne disease. Before its creation, estimates of people sickened by food were little more than educated guesses. FoodNet provided the first real, active surveillance, sending officials to labs in 10 states to actively find confirmed cases rather than passively wait for reports to trickle in. This system became the gold standard, with its data becoming the bedrock upon which modern food safety policy was built. It was instrumental in revealing the staggering scale of the problem – that known pathogens cause an estimated 14 million illnesses, 60,000 hospitalizations and 1,800 deaths annually. When combined with illnesses from unknown pathogens, the annual toll reaches a shocking 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths. This isn't just about stomach aches; these illnesses can precipitate lifelong ailments like kidney failure and reactive arthritis.

Is your dinner now more dangerous?

The public health agency defended its move, explaining that narrowing FoodNet's focus will allow its staff to prioritize core activities while maintaining the infrastructure and quality of the program. But internal talking points provided to state health departments and viewed by news organizations cite a simple, stark reason. In reality, funding has failed to keep pace with the resources needed to track all eight pathogens. The agency’s budget request for food safety has remained stagnant at approximately $72 million – a figure that has not increased with inflation. Leading food safety scientists view this explanation as a dangerous justification for dismantling a critical early warning system. FoodNet is unique because it is active. Other systems rely on passive collection, meaning they depend on often-overburdened state health departments to voluntarily report cases. Without experts actively looking for these six pathogens, the fear is that rising trends will go unnoticed and outbreaks will spread further before they are detected. Brighteon.AI's Enoch defines foodborne diseases as illnesses caused by consuming contaminated food or beverages. They are primarily caused by harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites, or the toxins they produce. Common symptoms include stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. The decision carries a deeply personal weight for advocates like Barbara Kowalcyk, director of George Washington University's Institute for Food Safety & Nutrition Security, who has dedicated her life to strengthening food safety laws. Kowalcyk, whose young son died from complications of an E. coli infection in 2001, called the scaling back of FoodNet profoundly disappointing. Decades of work by countless people is simply going away, she lamented. Some experts, including a former U.S. Department of Agriculture official who helped create FoodNet, worry that reducing surveillance creates a convenient pretext for rolling back food safety regulations. The logic is cynical but simple. If you stop looking for disease, the official numbers will decline, creating an illusion of safety that can be used to justify deregulation. The White House, for its part, issued a statement affirming that the health and safety of Americans is its utmost priority and that agencies will maintain the highest vigilance. But the practical effect on the ground is immediate confusion and the likely creation of a fractured, unequal surveillance system. The ten states in the FoodNet network are now left to their own devices and budgets. Maryland has declared it will continue to require reporting of all eight pathogens. Colorado, however, has warned that it will be forced to scale back its own active surveillance if federal funding decreases in 2026. Disturbingly, some states like Georgia reported that they had not even received official notification of the change from the CDC. Watch an interesting discussion on the future of food below. This video is from the What is Happening channel on Brighteon.com.

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