The FDA Office of Coordinated Outbreak Response, Evaluation, & Emergency Preparedness (CORE+EP) released its Annual Report summarizing the investigations of foodborne illness outbreaks and certain adverse events in FDA-regulated human foods for the 2024 calendar year. The FDA’s CORE+EP, originally established in 2011 as the CORE Network, expanded in October 2024 to include an emergency preparedness team focused on food defense, traceability, and supply chain management. One of CORE+EP’s missions is to identify, stop, and help prevent foodborne illness outbreaks. This is accomplished through disease surveillance, outbreak response, post-response activities, and collaboration with the CDC, state and local public health agencies, and international public health partners. In 2024, CORE teams evaluated 72 incidents, responded to 26, and issued advisories for 10. These numbers remain similar to those of recent years: 69 incidents evaluated, 25 responses, and 10 advisories issued in 2023. In 2024, CORE investigations led to numerous public health actions, including recalls, public health advisories, a Warning Letter, a consent decree with a permanent injunction, and FDA prevention strategies. The 2024 annual report highlights a few noteworthy outbreaks: a large E. coli outbreak linked to carrots, a historical outbreak of illnesses associated with cheese, and a novel series of adverse events linked to certain chocolate bars, cones, and gummies. @ https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/core-2024-annual-report?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
