FoodNet is a joint effort by the CDC, FDA, USDA, and state health departments to monitor trends in the occurence of foodborne illness. The CDC funds cooperative agreements with some state and local health departments to conduct population-based surveillance and research that go beyond the routine functions of health departments. There are currently sites in 10 states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Tennessee.
The CDC FoodNet website lists the following as the objectives of the program:
- Determine the burden of foodborne illness in the United States
- Monitor trends in the burden of specific foodborne illness over time
- Attribute the burden of foodborne illness to specific foods and settings
- Develop and assess interventions to reduce the burden of foodborne illness
FoodNet monitors the occurrence of illness related to nine different pathogens: Campylobacter, Cyclospora, Cryptosporidium, E. coli (both O157:H7 and other strains of E. coli), Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, Shigella, Vibrio, and Yersinia enterocolitica. FoodNet also conducts hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) surveillance. HUS is an illness that can develop from an E. coli O157:H7 infection.
For each case of illness, FoodNet reviews the case and collects and analyzes strains. Special case-control studies are conducted across FoodNet sites in order to identify the major risk factors for sporadic illness, and community surveys are conducted to help determine the overall burden of foodborne illness.
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