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The FDA’s 2025 report says its CORE+EP teams evaluated 69 incidents, initiated 26 responses and issued 11 advisories. The report lists investigations involving products including cucumbers, prepared meals and powdered infant formula, while noting that evaluation does not always lead to a response or advisory.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has published its 2025 report on its Coordinated Outbreak Response, Evaluation, and Emergency Preparedness teams, saying they evaluated 69 incidents, initiated 26 responses and issued 11 public health advisories during the year. The figures describe separate stages of the agency’s work on potential foodborne illness outbreaks and certain adverse events; they do not mean that all 69 incidents were confirmed outbreaks or resulted in public alerts.
The teams, known as CORE+EP, evaluate possible food-related incidents and coordinate follow-up when an outbreak appears linked to a food regulated by the FDA. The report says the Signals and Surveillance Team analyzes potential and confirmed outbreaks as well as certain adverse events. Not every incident it evaluates is transferred to one of four response teams.
A response begins when available information indicates an outbreak may be caused by an FDA-regulated food, according to the report. A public health advisory is a separate action intended to give consumers practical safety information when a regulated food is linked to an outbreak. In 2025, the agency’s listed investigations included Salmonella linked to cucumbers, Listeria infections associated with prepared meals, and infant botulism linked to powdered infant formula.
The FDA’s report also lists responses in which products were linked to illnesses but no advisory was issued, including mangoes, cilantro, parsley, spring mix and sprouts. The agency says this can happen when investigators lack enough information about the cause of illnesses while a public health risk is ongoing. Confirmed vehicles are reported on the FDA’s CORE Investigation Table, the report says.
How FDA Investigations Can Protect Consumers
The figures show how the FDA distinguishes between identifying an incident, coordinating an investigation and communicating advice to the public. Evaluation does not automatically mean a confirmed food source, and an initiated response does not necessarily produce an advisory. That distinction matters to consumers interpreting the annual totals: they describe the agency’s workload and actions, not a count of confirmed outbreaks or illnesses.
When investigators identify a food source, the agency may issue an advisory or recommend that a company voluntarily recall a product, according to the report. It also says the FDA’s Office of Compliance and Enforcement can pursue measures such as warning letters, seizures, injunctions or import alerts. These steps can help limit exposure, though the report cautions that its investigation table is not an exhaustive list of FDA activity and that work may continue after publication.
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From CORE Network to CORE+EP
The FDA established the CORE Network in 2011 to coordinate foodborne outbreak work. In October 2024, it expanded the program to add an emergency preparedness team focused on food defense, traceability and supply-chain monitoring; the combined teams are now referred to as CORE+EP.
The 2025 report records fewer evaluated incidents than the 137 reported in 2013, which the source identifies as a high point. The report, as described in the source material, does not explain the difference or provide enough information to infer why the annual total changed. Counts should be read as activity figures, not as a direct measure of food safety risk, since the report covers multiple types of incidents and stages of investigation.
CORE+EP’s work includes disease surveillance, outbreak response, post-response activities and coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state and local health agencies, and international public health partners. Some investigations listed in the report may have begun in 2024 even though an advisory was issued in 2025.
“The work conducted by CORE during and following investigations of foodborne illness outbreaks and certain adverse events culminate in actions that can drive the prevention of additional illnesses and future outbreaks.”
— FDA’s 2025 CORE+EP report
What the Annual Totals Do Not Show
The published totals do not, by themselves, establish how many incidents were confirmed outbreaks, how many people became ill, or how quickly investigators resolved each case. The source material also does not provide a year-by-year explanation for the change from the 2013 high of 137 incidents to 69 in 2025. Without further detail, the difference cannot be attributed to a particular cause or treated as evidence of a corresponding change in risk.
The report’s footnote says an advisory may not be issued when investigators lack sufficient information about the source of illnesses during an ongoing risk period. It does not state that every product listed without an advisory was cleared of risk. The source also notes that the investigation table is not exhaustive and that additional activity may still be underway.
Further Investigations and Follow-Up
The report does not announce a specific next milestone or schedule for additional findings. FDA investigations can continue after an annual report is published, and the agency says its table may not include every action related to the incidents. Readers seeking case-level updates can check the FDA’s CORE Investigation Table and public advisories for information on identified food vehicles, recalls and ongoing work.
Where evidence supports additional action, the agency may issue consumer advice, recommend a voluntary recall or pursue compliance measures, according to the report. The timing and nature of any further steps will depend on findings in individual investigations; the 2025 totals do not predict which cases will lead to additional action.
Key Questions
What does it mean that CORE+EP evaluated 69 incidents?
It means the teams analyzed 69 incidents in 2025. These included potential or confirmed outbreaks and certain adverse events; evaluation alone does not mean an incident was confirmed or transferred to a response team.
How many responses and public health advisories did the teams report?
The FDA report says CORE+EP initiated 26 responses and issued 11 advisories in 2025. These are distinct actions and should not be read as applying to every incident evaluated.
Why might the FDA not issue an advisory?
The report says an advisory may not be issued when investigators do not have enough information about what is causing illnesses during an ongoing public health risk. Confirmed food vehicles are reported on the FDA’s CORE Investigation Table.
Which investigations did the 2025 report highlight?
The report included investigations involving Salmonella linked to cucumbers, Listeria infections associated with prepared meals, and infant botulism linked to powdered infant formula.
Does the 2025 total show that foodborne illness risk fell?
No. The total counts incidents evaluated, not illness rates or confirmed outbreaks. The source notes that 137 incidents were reported in 2013 but gives no explanation for the difference, so the counts alone do not establish a change in risk.
Source: rss
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