Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., on developments in the romaine outbreak investigation, recent outbreaks and the use of modern tools to advance food safety

Being able to identify outbreaks is key to being able to take quick action to prevent additional illnesses and find the source of the contamination. In recent years, the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have advanced new tools that make it easier and faster to identify outbreaks of human illness and to link them back to the food source that is the culprit responsible for the illnesses. But our improved ability to spot outbreaks has also caused some to question whether we are experiencing more foodborne outbreaks now than in the past.