The most recent CORE Report has been published – with some new facets. With the 2024 FDA organizational changes, an Emergency Response team was added to the Coordinated Outbreak Response & Evaluation (CORE) Network, expanding the CORE mission from a primary focus on outbreak investigation to the CORE+EP mission focused on food defense, traceability, and supply chain management. The addition of EP also brought a shift to coverage of the entire food safety landscape, including responding to novel adverse events.
The resulting 2024 report showed that the CORE teams evaluated 72 incidents, responded to 26, and issued advisories for 10. As depicted in the graph below, the numbers are similar to recent years. However, while this decades’ number of “incidents transferred to response” and “advisories issued” also remain fairly similar, the number of “incidents evaluated” is down significantly from the 2010s. Although the report provides no comment on this variance, there is some likelihood that it is due, at least in part, to the ongoing staffing and funding shortages and reorganizations.
Conversely, this means that sufficient evidence was found in a higher percentage of the evaluated incidents to warrant an active, focused investigation. The number of responses for which a product was linked to illnesses, but no advisory was issued (indicated below by an *) is somewhat concerning as, in most cases, this is because a vehicle is not identified in the outbreak investigation. However, the 2024 CORE investigations did result in numerous public health actions, including recalls, public health advisories, a Warning Letter, a consent decree of permanent injunction, and FDA prevention strategies.
As also depicted in the graphic above, produce was, by far, the most common commodity to be linked to illnesses, with vegetables responsible for more than half (12 of 20). However, for more than half of these, no advisory was issued, likely due to the short shelf-life of most produce.
Thus, while produce of various types continues to be a challenge, as noted above, other commodities continue to be linked to illness or trigger large recalls even when they are not linked to outbreaks.
One of the major recalls showed the benefits of including EP in the CORE investigation, as it was related to a novel adverse event. Associated with hemp-derived products for which initial reports from consumers showed a variety of severe symptoms after eating the products, the investigation was highlighted in the report due to the speed at which public warnings were issued and product removed from the market; the ability it gave FDA and CDC medical officers to collaborate on understanding the health effects and risks associated with such products; and the fact that CDC had to rely on self-reported information, rather than microbiological linkage, to determine a potential shared source.
The annual issuance of CORE+EP reports provides both the food agencies and the industry with information that can be used to further the understanding, and thereby the prevention, of food outbreaks. While it’s no surprise that produce leads the list of products linked to illnesses, it should be a call to action to these producers, and the manufacturers they supply, to ensure all possible steps are being taken to ensure safety for consumers, as well as protection for your brand.
Summary: FDA’s 2024 CORE+EP Report shows produce remains the leading category tied to foodborne illness outbreaks, while also highlighting ongoing challenges in identifying contamination sources and issuing urgent advisories. The report reinforces the importance of traceability, rapid response, and proactive risk management across the food supply chain. This focus aims to inspire confidence that swift action is necessary and possible in protecting public health.
