Each year, roughly 1 in 6 people in the US gets sick from eating contaminated food.

The 1,000 or more reported outbreaks that happen each year reveal familiar culprits—Salmonella and other common germs. We know that reducing contamination works. Over the past 15 years, a dangerous type of E. coli infection, responsible for the recall of millions of pounds of ground beef, has been cut almost in half.

Each year, roughly 1 in 6 people in the US gets sick from eating contaminated food.

Yet during that same time, Salmonella infection, which causes more hospitalizations and deaths than any other type of germ found in food and $365 million in direct medical costs annually, has not declined. Each year, 1 million people get sick from eating food contaminated with Salmonella. Applying lessons learned from reducing E. coli O157 infections could help reduce illness caused by Salmonella.

Targeting Salmonella

Reducing Salmonella infection is difficult because:

• It is found in many different types of foods: meats, eggs, fruits, vegetables, and even processed foods such as peanut butter.
• Contamination can occur anywhere: from fields where food is grown to cutting boards in kitchens.
• What we eat and how we eat have changed: foods coming from one central location are widely distributed, meaning that sickness can spread quickly; we eat more meals outside the home; and more foods and ingredients come from all over the world.
• Some policies and procedures that can make a difference in reducing contamination take years to put into place.

The CDC recommends that farmers, grocery stores, and places that make, sell, or serve food can help reduce salmonella by:

• Using good management practices to reduce contamination when raising livestock or food animals.
• Adopting proven preventive measures for food safety plans in all food production and service facilities.