The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released new foodborne illness incidence data that show a lack of progress toward disease reduction goals—but that may be attributed to an increased use of culture-independent diagnostic tests (CIDTs), which allows for the diagnosis of infections that previously would have gone undetected.

Reducing the incidence of foodborne and enteric diseases is a priority of CDC. The Healthy People 2030 (HP2030) initiative establishes disease reduction goals for Campylobacter, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infections. To evaluate progress toward HP2030 goals, CDC’s Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) monitors infections caused by eight pathogens transmitted commonly through food.