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The FDA’s 2025 report says its Coordinated Outbreak Response, Evaluation, and Emergency Preparedness teams evaluated 69 incidents, initiated 26 responses and issued 11 advisories. The incidents included investigations involving cucumbers, prepared meals and powdered infant formula; the report says not every evaluated incident leads to a response or consumer advisory.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says its Coordinated Outbreak Response, Evaluation, and Emergency Preparedness teams reviewed 69 incidents in 2025, initiated 26 responses and issued 11 public health advisories. The annual report describes work on potential and confirmed foodborne outbreaks and certain adverse events, including investigations linked to cucumbers, prepared meals and powdered infant formula.
The report distinguishes between an incident being evaluated and a formal response being initiated. The agency’s CORE Signals and Surveillance team analyzes potential outbreaks, confirmed outbreaks and certain adverse events. Not all incidents reviewed by that team are transferred to one of the four CORE Response Teams for follow-up.
A response begins when an outbreak appears to involve a food regulated by the FDA. Information is then passed to a response team to coordinate the agency’s work. The FDA says public health advisories are intended to give consumers actionable safety information when an FDA-regulated food is linked to an outbreak. The report’s totals—69 evaluated, 26 responses and 11 advisories—refer to different stages and should not be treated as equivalent counts.
Among the investigations the report identifies are a Salmonella outbreak linked to cucumbers, a Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to prepared meals, and infant botulism linked to powdered infant formula. The report’s table also lists other foods connected with illnesses and actions including advisories, recall announcements, warning letters and import alerts. It cautions that some investigations began in 2024, even though an advisory was issued in 2025, and that the listed activities are not exhaustive.
How FDA Responses Can Protect Consumers
The figures offer a snapshot of how the agency moves from signals of possible foodborne illness toward coordinated investigation and public communication. Evaluations can help identify patterns, but a consumer advisory is a separate action tied to what investigators know about a food and the public health risk. The different totals matter because an incident count alone does not show how many investigations led to a confirmed source or a public warning.
When investigators link a food to illnesses, the FDA says it may issue an advisory or recommend that a company voluntarily recall products. Other actions can include warning letters, seizures, injunctions or adding firms to import alerts. These steps can affect consumers deciding what to eat and businesses responsible for food production and distribution. The report documents actions taken, but does not establish that every evaluated incident resulted in a confirmed food source or enforcement action.
The agency also notes that a product may be linked to illnesses without an advisory being issued. In a footnote, it says this typically happens when there is not enough information about the cause during the period of ongoing public health risk. Confirmed vehicles are reported on the FDA’s CORE Investigation Table, according to the report.
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CORE+EP Expanded Its Mission
The FDA established the CORE Network in 2011 to coordinate responses to foodborne illness outbreaks. In October 2024, it expanded the program to include an emergency preparedness team, creating the structure referred to as CORE+EP. The added work focuses on food defense, traceability and supply-chain monitoring.
The report describes the program’s mission as finding, stopping and helping prevent foodborne illness outbreaks. It says this work combines disease surveillance, outbreak response, follow-up after responses and collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state and local public health agencies, and international partners. Foodborne illness investigations may involve multiple agencies because identifying a source and coordinating public advice can require information from different jurisdictions.
The article covering the report notes that 137 incidents were reported in 2013, compared with 69 in 2025. However, the FDA report did not discuss that earlier high or explain the difference. The figures alone do not establish why the annual counts changed, and the source material does not provide a like-for-like analysis of the two years.
“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 2025 CORE+EP report
What the Annual Totals Leave Open
The report’s headline figures do not, by themselves, show how many of the 69 evaluated incidents were confirmed outbreaks, how many had an identified food source, or how many resulted in additional illnesses being prevented. The source material also does not explain why the number of incidents was lower than the 137 reported in 2013, or provide a comparison that accounts for differences in how incidents were counted or investigated.
The report lists responses involving products such as mangoes, cilantro, parsley, spring mix and sprouts for which no advisory was issued. It does not provide enough detail in the supplied material to determine the status or outcome of each investigation. The FDA also says its activity table is not exhaustive and that additional actions may still be ongoing.
Further Investigation and Agency Actions
The FDA says outbreak work can continue after an initial response through follow-up, public health communication and compliance activity. Further details may appear in the agency’s CORE Investigation Table or in later announcements about recalls, warning letters, import alerts or other actions. The report does not set out a date for additional updates on the investigations it lists.
For consumers, the immediate next step is to follow current FDA and public health advisories rather than infer a present risk from last year’s annual totals. The report is a retrospective account of 2025 activity; it does not, on its own, identify a new food hazard or announce a current recall.
Key Questions
What did the FDA report about its 2025 investigations?
The report says CORE+EP evaluated 69 incidents, initiated 26 responses and issued 11 public health advisories during 2025.Does every evaluated incident lead to an FDA response?
No. The FDA says incidents reviewed by its Signals and Surveillance team are not all transferred to a CORE Response Team. A response is initiated when an outbreak appears to be caused by an FDA-regulated food.Which outbreak investigations did the report highlight?
The report identifies investigations involving Salmonella linked to cucumbers, Listeria linked to prepared meals, and infant botulism linked to powdered infant formula.Why might the FDA list a product without issuing an advisory?
The FDA says an advisory may not be issued when there is insufficient information about what is causing illnesses during an ongoing public health risk. The report says confirmed vehicles are listed on its CORE Investigation Table.Does the report announce a current food recall?
No. It summarizes agency activity in 2025 and lists actions associated with investigations. Readers should check current FDA notices for any active advisories or recalls.Source: rss
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