Abstract
An estimated 1 in 6 Americans get sick every year after eating contaminated food, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Vital Signs; 2011). There does not seem to be a week that passes without another food-related microbial outbreak, and the foods implicated in many of these infections often surprise us-from ice cream to convenience produce and salads to peanut butter and cantaloupes. The events themselves are all listed under the "News and Announcements" section of the US Food and Drug Administration's "Food" homepage (http://www.fda.gov/Food/default.htm). This overview provides the best sources for keeping up to date on microbiological sources of foodborne illness and steps government is taking to deal with them.