Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

About the author: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the federal agency responsible for protecting the health and safety of Americans.

Salmonella and Campylobacter, two of the most common causes of food-borne illness in the United States, have declined significantly in recent years. A science-based inspection system of meat and poultry processing plants is credited with the decrease in disease. The system, Pathogen Reduction and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP), requires that processing plants develop preventative controls and meet pathogen reduction performance standards for Salmonella. Periodic inspection ensures that plants meet these standards.

The Department of Health and Human Services today released preliminary data from the Centers for...