For the first time in 20 years, salmonella is not the leading cause of foodborne illness. Campylobacter is the new number one germ that gave Americans food poisoning in 2016, according to the CDC.
Campylobacter, like salmonella, can be found in poultry, but also in dairy products. Food researchers are addressing how poultry producers can prevent this disease in poultry, but for dairy products, consumers simply need to avoid raw milk and unpasteurized juices. Washing and properly cooking meat are always recommended to avoid illness, but produce is actually the main cause of food poisoning so putting leftovers in the refrigerator as soon as possible is also necessary.
In general, the CDC stated that sickness from eating contaminated food has not gotten worse in the past few years, though many people do not report cases unless symptoms are severe or persist. The techniques used in finding diseases may have some inaccuracies too, since the new tests are faster but sometimes counts dead, harmless germs as part of the data.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
