Changing Epidemiology of Food-Borne Disease: A Minnesota Perspective

In this review we discuss results of national surveillance of food-borne disease, the importance of national changes in the factors that contribute to the epidemiology of food-borne disease (as illustrated by the results of food-borne disease surveillance at the Minnesota Department of Health), and issues of food safety for the 1990s and beyond. We focus primarily on investigations conducted in Minnesota because our recent experiences have demonstrated the importance of many of these factors. In addition, the fact that these outbreaks were recognized in Minnesota, a state with only 2% of the population of the United States, suggests that problems of food-borne disease are actually much more widespread.