AFDO Healthy People 2030 Foodborne Illness Reduction Initiative
Healthy People 2030 provides a broad national framework to improve health and well‑being across the United States. Foodborne illness prevention is one of many focus areas within this comprehensive initiative. AFDO helps translate foodborne illness goals into action by bringing together partners across government, industry, academia, and consumer groups.
Through the AFDO Healthy People 2030 Foodborne Illness Reduction Initiative, cross‑sector emphasis workgroups focus on practical and effective tools, resources, and guidance that, when implemented, help drive down the number of specific foodborne illnesses in the United States.
AFDO supports and convenes cross‑sector workgroups that connect expertise, translate evidence into practice, and advance real‑world implementation to reduce foodborne illness nationwide.
AFDO’s Role in Healthy People 2030
Healthy People is led nationally by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and has guided health promotion and disease prevention efforts since 1980. While the objectives are nationally defined, achieving them requires sustained action across the food safety system.
This work is overseen by an AFDO‑led steering committee and supported by standing emphasis workgroups.
Explore HP2030 Foodborne Illness ObjectivesCurrent Areas of Emphasis
The initiative currently focuses on four emphasis areas. Each group brings together subject‑matter experts to identify gaps, test ideas, and share approaches that can be adapted across jurisdictions and sectors.
Norovirus at Retail
Norovirus is a leading cause of foodborne illness outbreaks. This emphasis area focuses on practical prevention in day‑to‑day retail operations — employee health, environmental controls, and clear regulatory/industry communication.
Salmonella
Salmonella remains a persistent cause of foodborne illness. The group focuses on Salmonella in poultry — improving surveillance data sharing, evaluating intervention strategies, and supporting science‑based discussion across public health, regulatory, and production systems.
Root Cause Analysis
RCA moves beyond individual incidents to understand underlying factors. The group expands RCA use among growers and producers, supports practical and scalable training, and encourages responsible data sharing to accelerate prevention.
One Health
One Health recognizes the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health. This area supports cross‑sector collaboration and systems‑level thinking to address complex food safety challenges.
Progress & Collaboration
AFDO convenes participants on a regular basis and hosts biennial in‑person meetings to assess progress, share lessons learned, and identify emerging priorities.
The 2026 biennial meeting brought together more than 120 food safety and public health professionals to review recent accomplishments, set the next objectives, and pursue opportunities for alignment across sectors.
120+
Attendees, 2026
4
Workgroups
Looking Ahead
The AFDO Healthy People 2030 initiative will continue through 2030, with regular reassessment of priorities and close coordination with national Healthy People efforts. Emphasis groups help guide content updates and identify opportunities to share tools and insights more broadly. AFDO also works to ensure lessons from this initiative inform conversations about future national objectives, including Healthy People 2040.
Contact
For questions about AFDO’s Healthy People 2030 work or this initiative:
Carrie Rigdon, AFDO Healthy People Liaison
Email: crigdon@afdo.org
