In a surprising move, federal health officials have significantly cut back on a program that has diligently tracked food poisoning infections in the United States for the past 30 years. This program, known as the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, or FoodNet, has narrowed its focus to only two key pathogens.

As of July, the CDC has drastically reduced its monitoring criteria from eight pathogens to just salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli bacteria—both notorious for causing the bulk of foodborne illnesses, hospitalizations, and even fatalities across the nation.

Previously, FoodNet kept tabs on a wider array of infectious culprits including campylobacter, cyclospora, listeria, shigella, vibrio, and Yersinia. Now, the surveillance of these additional germs has become optional.

CDC spokesman Paul Prince justified the change, stating it allows FoodNet staff to concentrate on essential activities and use resources more effectively. However, the link between this significant cutback and recent budget reductions enacted during the Trump administration remains unclear.

Critics, including state food safety officials, worry this alteration could hamper the detection of foodborne illness outbreaks and paint an incomplete picture of food-related infections. Carlota Medus, who leads the Minnesota Department of Health's foodborne diseases unit, warned, "Long term, it will affect our ability to use surveillance data to better understand risks in the food supply."

Medus further explained that while foodborne infections are still required to be reported to the CDC or state health departments, passive reporting could lead to missed cases. "FoodNet doesn’t just count cases. The FoodNet sites collect robust data that contribute to understanding specific infections,” she added.

The FoodNet initiative, established in 1995, has included health departments across ten states such as Colorado, Connecticut, and Georgia, capturing surveillance data for around 16% of the U.S. population.

Experts are concerned that with the recent changes, the accurate tracking of foodborne pathogens will falter, leaving health officials in the dark about whether the situation is improving or worsening. Frank Yiannas, a food safety expert and former FDA official, stated, "We won’t know as accurately as possible if we’re getting better or worse in respect to certain pathogens."