Foodborne pathogens are on the rise — and they’re making people unwell.
According to the most recent data from FoodNet, the authoritative source for tracking foodborne illnesses run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, annual infections from foodborne pathogens rose consecutively from 2020 to 2022. In addition, the Food Safety Net Services — which operates several laboratories across the country dedicated to testing food and beverages — reported hospitalizations and deaths from foodborne illnesses doubled in 2024 from the previous year.
“We’re not doing a good job of bringing down illnesses,” says Sandra Eskin, the CEO of Stop Foodborne Illness, a national nonprofit that advocates for effective food safety policies. “In some instances, we’re seeing increases, but as significantly, we’re seeing no decreases.”
While it is unclear exactly what is driving the uptick in foodborne illnesses, some suggest that a post-pandemic return to restaurants — which researchers say are responsible for 60% of foodborne illnesses — may have influenced trends.
“Cases most likely dropped during COVID due to less eating out,” says Katie Rankell, a registered dietitian nutritionist and certified diabetes care and education specialist and UCI Health Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute in California. “Now people are back dining out more.”
An increase in global food supplies and distribution, as well as the ever-warming climate, may also be impacting the rise, Rankell adds.
Whatever the cause, food safety advocates emphasize the importance of getting all hands on deck — or maybe, the kitchen counter — to bring numbers down.
“Stakeholders — so buyers, and growers and even consumer groups like Stop Foodborne Illness — and scientists have to get together and identify best practices for reducing contamination,” Eskin says. “We have regulations, but they’re the floor, not the ceiling, and the persistent outbreaks we’re having point to the fact that the regulations aren’t enough.”
While much work is left to be done to reduce foodborne illness risks as a whole, there are simpler steps you can take as an individual to keep yourself safe. By and large, foodborne illness can be prevented. So, by following a few key food safety rules when buying, storing and eating food, you can keep your family and yourself safe and disease-free.
[SEE: Food Poisoning: Prevention, Symptoms and Treatment]
What Is the No.1 Food That Causes Food Poisoning?
— Raw milk and dairy
— Undercooked meats and poultry
— Unwashed produce, especially lettuce, leafy greens and sprouts
Foodborne pathogens can contaminate all sorts of food, so it’s hard to say if one food is the number one food that causes food poisoning. However, some foods can be particularly risky. Eskin warns to be wary of unpasteurized or raw milk, especially if you are in a vulnerable group. Many pathogens can be linked to unpasteurized milk, including E. coli, she says.
“One of the most risky foods, especially for children, is raw, unpasteurized milk and dairy products made from it,” Eskin says. Eskin adds that the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F Kennedy, is a proponent of raw milk, which is worrisome. “Food safety advocates are concerned that the government will “eliminate that ban on interstate sale, which will open a floodgates. We’ll have lots and lots of people, children getting sick.”
Undercooked meats can be another common source of danger, although risks can be lowered by safe handling practices and thoroughly cooking your food. Vegetables that grow above ground, like lettuce, are another risky item, as they can be places for animal feces or chemicals to land. Rinsing vegetables can help reduce the risk of pathogens spreading to you.
[READ: Salmonella Infection: Symptoms, Causes and Treatments]
Food Safety Tips
Coming down with a foodborne illness can be scary, and at times, life-threatening. Fortunately, many foodborne illnesses are preventable — so you don’t have to let the fear of food poisoning stop you from eating your favorite things.
To steer clear of foodborne illness, here are some steps you can take:
— Identify your risk level
— Grocery shop safely
— Wash your hands often
— Separate food items
— Rinse vegetables
— Set your refrigerator temperature
— Cook meats thoroughly
— Discard expired, recalled or spoiled items
[SEE: 4 Surprising Food Safety Habits to Start.]
Identify your risk level
Knowing your risk level for foodborne illnesses can help you take extra caution when needed, such as avoiding certain foods or environments.
“The first thing as a consumer to look at is, do you fall within a high-risk category?” Eskin says. “Generally, that’s older people, that’s young children, that can be pregnant women, that is anybody with a compromised immune system.”
This also includes people with health conditions like HIV or AIDS, or who are undergoing cancer treatments like chemotherapy.
Wash your hands often
Before and after handling food and before and after eating, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly with warm water and soap.
Grocery shop safely
Good food safety practices can start at the grocery store. These can include double-checking the expiration labels on dairy, produce and deli meats before buying, and packaging fresh produce in a separate bag from raw meat, poultry or fish items.
It’s also a good idea to go straight home after grocery shopping so that you can properly refrigerate or freeze items that should be stored chilled. If you don’t have time to go home right away, consider bringing a cooler bag with you on your trip.
Separate food items
Keeping raw meats and produce separate is not a practice that should end at the grocery store. The best way to do this is to keep raw, fresh produce on the top shelf of your refrigerator, and keep your meat in the freezer or tightly wrapped in its original packaging on the bottom shelf.
“If they drip, they do not drip on top of produce you might eat raw,” says Dana Ellis Hunnes, a senior clinical dietitian at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles and author of the book “Recipe for Survival.”
When preparing food, you’ll also want to use separate utensils and cutting boards for different items.
Hunnes recommends using “a separate cutting board for raw meats that can be sanitized in the dishwasher.”
Rinse vegetables
It’s important to wash vegetables and produce before eating to remove any potential dirt, chemicals or pathogens that may reside on their surface.
Bouvier recommends waiting to wash your produce until you are ready to consume it.
“This will help it to stay fresher longer,” says Bouvier.
Before washing produce, make sure you have washed your hands with soap and water. This is essential in reducing opportunities for germs to spread.
Once ready to wash your produce, put away the soap. You won’t need a cleaning product for this job, as it can leave chemical residue on your food that is not safe to ingest. Instead, run your items under cool water for five to 10 seconds.
Be sure to wash all kinds of produce, including foods with an inedible peel, like avocados, melons, lemons, limes and grapefruit, because otherwise dirt or germs from the outer layer of these fruits may spread to inside the fruit, on your hands or lips. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends using a vegetable brush to scrub firm produce, like a cucumber.
Afterward, dry your fruits and vegetables with a clean cloth or paper towel and store on a dry surface to prevent bacterial growth.
While it’s good practice to always wash your fresh produce, the same is not true for meat. Rinsing with water or a cleaning agent will not disinfect your meat and may instead spread bacteria to other surfaces, utensils or foods.
Set your refrigerator temperature
To create an environment too cold for viruses and bacteria to survive, it’s important that your refrigerator is 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below throughout the unit. A freezer should be at zero degrees Fahrenheit.
When unpacking your groceries, you’ll want to chill refrigerated items right away. Additionally, before cooking with any frozen meats or seafood, use the refrigerator to thaw items overnight — or leave these in a sink with running water until they are no longer frozen.
You should also plan to store most leftovers in the refrigerator, being sure to package them up within two hours after preparation. Try to avoid eating food that has been left out for more than four hours.
Cook meats thoroughly
In the food safety world, cooking can serve as a “kill step” to get rid of foodborne pathogens, Eskin says. This can be particularly important for meats, like chicken.
“You cook something thoroughly, and if it’s contaminated, you will kill, most likely, the bacteria that’s in there,” Eskin says.
Different meats require different temperatures for safe cooking:
— 165°F for all chicken and poultry
— 145°F for fish and seafood
— 160°F for all ground meats
— 145°F for raw beef, pork, lamb and veal
Using a meat thermometer is one way to test the internal temperature of your meat to ensure it’s cooked properly.
Discard expired, spoiled or recalled items
Eating foods that are passed their expiration date, appear spoiled or have been recalled by the FDA can make you sick.
Expiration dates are mandated by law in some states and signify the date by which the product will most likely spoil. Expiration dates can be particularly important for items like meats and cheeses, which can have a short shelf life and are prone to contamination. To reduce risk of accidentally eating an expired item, it’s a good idea to throw it in the trash after the expiration date.
You may also want to discard foods that appear spoiled or smelly, even if they haven’t reached their expiration date yet. You’ll also want to be mindful to toss any foods that have been recalled by the FDA, regardless of their expiration date or spoilage status, as these may be contaminated.
To find out if a food product you purchased has been recalled, check the U.S. Food and Drug Administration website, the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service website, or the FoodSafety.gov website. You can also use the free Food Recalls & Alerts app.
Understanding Food Recalls
When the FDA learns of a foodborne illness outbreak related to an FDA-approved food or beverage item, it typically issues a recall of the item or items believed to be involved. Companies can also directly issue recalls if they learn of safety issues with their products. Often, recalls involve multiple lot numbers or shipments of products, versus a stand-alone item. When recalls are active, you should not only follow safe handling practices but also discard any recalled items — or refrain from purchasing new versions of these at the store until the recall is resolved.
Eskin encourages consumers to be “mindful of recalls.” “If a recalled product is still out there in the market, don’t buy it,” she says. “If a recalled product is in your refrigerator or your cupboard, don’t eat it. Throw it out.”
If you believe that an FDA-approved food or beverage has made you sick, you can also notify the FDA of this through their Safety Reporting Portal. But most importantly, you should tend to your symptoms — and check in with your doctor about how to best take care of your health.
[Read: Stomach Flu vs. Food Poisoning: How to Recognize the Difference]
Most Common Food Pathogens
A variety of pathogens cause foodborne illnesses, which can have some overlapping and some unique symptoms. Some culprits of food poisoning include:
— Listeria
— Escherichia coli or E. coli
Listeria
Eating food contaminated with Listeria can put you at risk for listeriosis, which can be a deadly form of foodborne illness. Listeria infections can be particularly concerning for people in vulnerable groups, like pregnant people or older adults, who can be more likely to contract this illness or experience more severe outcomes. In 2024, ten people died from a listeria outbreak linked to Boar’s Head meats.
“When the disease is invasive, it can invade beyond the gut, including the blood or brain, which can cause meningitis, miscarriage in pregnant women or other fatalities,” says Gisela Bouvier, a registered dietitian nutritionist and owner of the Southwest Florida-based Gisela Bouvier Nutrition.
Still, not all cases of listeriosis are fatal, and some lead to mild GI distress that can self-resolve.
Escherichia coli or E. coli
Eating food — or drinking beverages — contaminated with E. Coli can put you at risk for tell-tale food poisoning symptoms, as well as urinary tract infections or respiratory illness, in some cases. Severe cases of E. coli infections can also lead to hospitalizations or death. In 2024, an E. coli outbreak linked to onions in McDonald’s Quarter Pounders resulted in 104 illnesses and one death.
However, many strains of E. coli are also harmless, and often, the bacteria can live safely within your digestive tract.
Salmonella
Eating food contaminated by animal feces, which can contain Salmonella, can put you at risk for a Salmonella infection. Like other foodborne illnesses, Salmonella infections can manifest similarly to a stomach bug and may range from barely noticeable annoyances to severe health threats. In 2024, a Salmonella outbreak linked to cucumbers resulted in 551 illnesses and 155 deaths, according to FSNS.
Norovirus
According to the CDC, norovirus is the leading cause of foodborne illness in the US. It can also be spread easily from person to person. Eating food or drinking beverages contaminated with norovirus can make you sick with symptoms similar to a stomach bug.
Food Poisoning Symptoms
Foodborne illness, also known as food poisoning, refers to various sicknesses that can result from eating contaminated food. Often, foodborne illnesses produce symptoms like a mild stomach ache, nausea or vomiting — which may be uncomfortable to deal with, but tend to resolve on their own within one to seven days. Other times, foodborne illnesses can lead to severe medical distress, putting people at risk for hospitalization or even death.
Some symptoms of food poisoning include:
— Abdominal pain and cramps
— Nausea
— Vomiting
— Frequent diarrhea
— Fever
Food Safety Tips for Eating Out
There is no guaranteed way to avoid food poisoning when you’re eating out, but there are some steps you can take to prioritize your safety. The first can start with assessing the place.
“If floors are clean, tables are constantly being wiped down and the staff has clean uniforms, that is a good indicator of the cleaning operations within the restaurant,” Bouvier says.
If you don’t want to do an in-person assessment, consider checking out customer reviews online or even checking in with your local health inspector about the safety of the establishment. Health inspections are public information and should be available online, depending on your state.
You also might want to check out your food before your first bite. If your hot food comes out cold, or if your meat looks undercooked, don’t be afraid to flag down the waiter and express concerns.
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Food Safety Tips: How to Prevent Foodborne Illness originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 08/18/25: This story was published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
