Contagious Conversations

Author: CDC Foundation

Curious about the people who are making the world healthier and safer for us all, and what set them on that path? Get inspired as the CDC Foundation interviews experts who share their unique perspectives on today's toughest health challenges, such as antibiotic resistance, global disease outbreaks, health equality and more.
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50. Behind the Plate: Keeping Our Food Safe
Episode 50
Thursday, 3 April, 2025

It's easy to take for granted that the food we eat and the water we drink is safe and healthy. Several recent high-profile outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, however, are a reminder of how critical food safety is. CDC estimates that nearly 48 million Americans contract a foodborne illness each year. Of those, 128,000 people are hospitalized annually, and 3,000 people die. So, who is tasked with keeping our food and water safe? And what happens when a foodborne outbreak does occur? In this episode, we hear from a food epidemiologist with Minnesota's department of public health about how foodborne outbreaks are investigated and a personal story from someone who got sick from a foodborne illness. Join us! For more information and full episode transcripts, visit cdcfoundation.org/conversations. Episode Quotes "It's really a team sport, solving these outbreaks. And if you take out any piece of that team, you're not going to get to the answer." - —Joshua Rounds, MPH, senior epidemiologist in Minnesota Department of Health Foodborne Diseases Unit "I was incredibly impressed with the level of care and the systems that were in place to obviously solve the mystery, beginning with the hospital who made the report and the sending off my samples and so forth. I didn't realize that was happening behind the scenes." - —Cindy Ligon, artist Episode Credits Claire Stinson: Host Maya Kroth: Producer David Snyder: Editor Emily Bucherati: Graphics and web design Erin Norvell: Social media Katie Johnstone: Social media Thanks to Our Guests Joshua Rounds, MPH, senior epidemiologist in Minnesota Department of Health Foodborne Diseases Unit Cindy Ligon, artist Join the conversation on social: Share on Facebook  Share on LinkedIn  View on Twitter View on Instagram 