In the early 1990s, a devastating outbreak of contaminated beef led to kidney damage and death among children, sparking a call to action on food safety. In response, the CDC, USDA, FDA, and several state health departments launched FoodNet in 1995—a surveillance system designed to monitor the incidence and severity of foodborne illnesses across the United States.
Dr. Kirk Smith, an epidemiologist, veterinarian, and director of Minnesota’s FoodNet site, shares his insights from decades of work protecting the nation’s food supply. Dr. Smith discusses how FoodNet works, best practices in food safety, and a particularly unusual and interesting Salmonella outbreak in an elementary school.
Sample Initiated Foodborne Outbreak Detection

