TL;DR
Researchers from the FDA, CDC and USDA found little progress toward Healthy People 2030 targets for four major foodborne pathogens. Recent surveillance data show higher incidence of Campylobacter, Listeria and STEC infections than their baselines, while Salmonella rates were little changed; none of the targets has been met.
A study by researchers from the FDA, CDC and USDA found that the United States has made “none to very slight” progress toward Healthy People 2030 foodborne illness targets: recent infection rates for three of four pathogens were above their baselines, and Salmonella incidence was nearly unchanged. None of the four targets examined has been met, according to the study published in the Journal of Food Protection.
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The analysis compared the program’s reduction goals with surveillance data for Campylobacter, Salmonella, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), and Listeria monocytogenes. The latest available figures show Campylobacter incidence rising from a baseline of 16.2 to 20.6 infections per 100,000 people; its target is 10.9. STEC rose from 4.6 to 5.7 per 100,000, against a target of 3.7. Listeria increased from 0.27 to 0.36 per 100,000, compared with a target of 0.22.
Salmonella incidence was relatively stable, at 15.2 infections per 100,000 people, compared with a baseline of 15.3. The target is 11.5. Data cover 2024 for Salmonella, STEC and Listeria, and 2023 for Campylobacter. The baselines were calculated from pooled 2016–2018 data. The figures describe reported incidence in the population; they do not establish why rates changed.
The researchers assessed nearly four decades of national food safety objectives using historical surveillance data, primarily from the CDC’s Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network. They also reported that none of the Healthy People 2020 food safety targets had been met. The study’s broad assessment of progress toward 2030 was “none to very slight,” while the current pathogen-specific figures show that all four targets remain unmet.
Four Pathogens Remain Above Targets
The results indicate that national goals to reduce infections from several common foodborne pathogens are not yet being achieved. For readers, these illnesses can mean acute sickness and, in some cases, serious health consequences. The study does not estimate an individual’s risk, but it shows that measured population rates have not moved toward the stated targets for any of the four pathogens.
The scale of the public health burden is also reflected in figures cited by the researchers from a 2025 Government Accountability Office report. Between 2011 and 2022, more than 9,000 foodborne illness outbreaks were reported across all 50 states. The report estimated that foodborne illness costs Americans $75 billion annually in 2023 dollars, counting medical care, lost productivity and premature deaths, including costs tied to secondary conditions. That estimate is not a cost calculated by the new study, but it helps explain why progress toward prevention goals matters.
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How Healthy People Sets Goals
Healthy People is a national initiative led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services with public and private partners. It sets health objectives for each decade. The effort began with a 1979 report from the Surgeon General, and food safety objectives were first included in Healthy People 2000. Healthy People 2030 is the initiative’s fourth decade with food safety goals.
The researchers caution that comparisons across decades are complicated by changes in surveillance, diagnostic technology and how targets are set. Earlier objectives could use a single-year baseline, while more recent goals use three-year pooled averages and more rigorous statistical methods. These differences make long-term comparisons less straightforward, though the study’s latest data still show that none of the four current targets has been reached.
““None to very slight” progress toward foodborne illness reduction targets.”
— The FDA, CDC and USDA researchers, as characterized in the study
Limits of the Trend Comparisons
The study reports incidence trends but the supplied findings do not identify the causes of increases in Campylobacter, Listeria or STEC, or explain why Salmonella rates remained nearly level. It is also not clear from the available information how much changes in testing, reporting or surveillance practices affected each pathogen’s latest figures.
Comparisons across decades carry additional uncertainty because baseline calculations and target-setting methods have changed. The latest data are not from the same year for all four pathogens, and the study does not show whether the 2030 targets will be reached by the end of the decade. Its findings describe progress so far, not a forecast.
More Surveillance Before 2030
Progress will depend on future surveillance and comparisons with the established targets. The latest figures available for this analysis end in 2023 for Campylobacter and 2024 for the other pathogens; newer data could change the picture, but no such results are included in the report described here. The researchers’ analysis also points to the need to interpret future rates with attention to changes in surveillance and measurement methods.
For now, all four Healthy People 2030 pathogen targets remain unmet. The study does not announce a new federal intervention or a revised target, and the available material does not specify a timetable for additional findings beyond continued monitoring.
Key Questions
Which foodborne illness targets did the study examine?
It examined Healthy People 2030 targets for Campylobacter, Salmonella, STEC and Listeria monocytogenes.
Which infection rates increased?
Compared with their 2016–2018 baselines, reported incidence increased for Campylobacter, STEC and Listeria. Salmonella incidence was relatively unchanged.
Were any of the four targets met?
No. The study’s latest available figures show that all four targets remain unmet.
What years do the latest figures cover?
The latest data cover 2023 for Campylobacter and 2024 for Salmonella, STEC and Listeria.
Why are comparisons across decades difficult?
The researchers cite changes in surveillance methods, diagnostic technology and target-setting. More recent objectives use pooled three-year baselines rather than the single-year baselines used in earlier goals.
Source: foodsafetynews.com
