Constituent Update

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Coordinated Outbreak Response & Evaluation (CORE) Network released its first annual report summarizing the investigations of foodborne outbreaks and adverse events in FDA-regulated human foods for the 2022 calendar year.

The FDA’s CORE Network was established in 2011 with the mission to find, stop, and aid in the prevention of foodborne illness outbreaks. This is accomplished through disease surveillance, outbreak response, post-response activities, and collaboration with CDC and state and local public health agencies. Every year, CORE evaluates and responds to numerous foodborne outbreaks related to FDA-regulated products.

In 2022, CORE evaluated 65 incidents, responded to 28, and issued advisories for 11. These numbers show a slight increase in the number of incidents evaluated in recent years, with 59 incidents evaluated, 19 responses, and 10 advisories issued in 2021. The investigations in 2022 included E. coli, Cronobacter, hepatitis A virus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella which were linked to a variety of products, including produce, dairy, and fish.

CORE investigations also resulted in numerous public health actions, including recalls, public health advisories, Warning Letters, FDA prevention strategies, a country-wide Import Alert, and a Consent Decree. These are further described in the report.

The 2022 annual report highlights a few noteworthy outbreaks from 2022: Listeria monocytogenes linked to enoki mushrooms, Salmonella linked to cantaloupe, and Salmonella linked to peanut butter.

Up-to-date information on outbreak-related activities and investigations can always be found on the CORE Investigation Table, FDA’s Public Health Advisories, Outbreak Investigation Reports, and Publications.