Foodborne illness and animal products
Summary
Many major foodborne pathogens are commonly associated with animal products (e.g., Salmonella in poultry/eggs, Campylobacter in poultry, certain E. coli linked to cattle). Produce outbreaks occur too, often from contaminated water/manure; the key point is that animal agriculture can be a primary reservoir and contamination source.
Supported by 6 cited sources
Key Points
- 1U.S. attribution analyses link foodborne illness to both animal- and plant-source categories, with patterns varying substantially by pathogen (IFSAC, 2024).
- 2Raw poultry commonly contains Salmonella or Campylobacter, and outbreak attribution also links E. coli O157 illness to both beef and vegetable row crops (CDC, 2025; IFSAC, 2024).
- 3A review of contamination during crop production identified manure, irrigation water, soil, livestock, and wildlife as potential sources of pathogens on fresh produce (Alegbeleye et al., 2018).
- 4Cooking, separation, cleaning, and storage affect risk, and plant foods can also transmit bacterial, viral, or parasitic pathogens (CDC, 2025).
Evidence Summary
Pathogen–food associations
Foodborne risk is not distributed uniformly across foods, and no single comparison between “animal products” and “plant foods” describes every pathogen (IFSAC, 2024; CDC, 2025). The 2022 U.S. Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration model attributed more than 75% of Salmonella illnesses to seven categories that included chicken, pork, beef, and turkey as well as fruits, seeded vegetables, and other produce (IFSAC, 2024). The same report attributed more than 85% of E. coli O157 illnesses to vegetable row crops and beef, while more than 75% of Listeria monocytogenes illnesses were attributed to dairy, vegetable row crops, and fruits (IFSAC, 2024).
These results show that animal-source foods are important vehicles for several major pathogens and that plant foods also cause substantial illness (IFSAC, 2024; Painter et al., 2013). CDC states that raw poultry often contains Salmonella and Campylobacter and requires adequate cooking and cross-contamination control (CDC, 2025). In an earlier attribution analysis covering outbreaks from 1998–2008, produce accounted for 46% of estimated illnesses, whereas more deaths were attributed to poultry than to any other single commodity (Painter et al., 2013).
Reservoirs and contamination pathways
A food vehicle is not necessarily the original reservoir (CDC, 2025). Pathogens associated with cattle or poultry can reach people through meat, direct animal contact, water, soil, or cross-contamination; infected food handlers and other environmental sources can also contaminate food (CDC, 2025; Alegbeleye et al., 2018). CDC source-attribution methods compare pathogen subtypes isolated from people, animals, and foods, but the most appropriate method differs by pathogen and commodity (CDC, 2025).
Produce can be contaminated before harvest (Alegbeleye et al., 2018). A review of field-production pathways identified contaminated manure, irrigation water, soil, livestock, and wildlife as established or potential sources, with pathogen survival affected by environmental and biological conditions (Alegbeleye et al., 2018). Manure runoff can connect animal waste with surface water, irrigation sources, soil, and crops; however, not every produce outbreak originates in animal agriculture, and the cited review also identifies non-manure routes (Alegbeleye et al., 2018).
Interpreting dietary exposure
Removing a specific high-risk food eliminates exposure through that food but does not eliminate foodborne illness risk (CDC, 2025; IFSAC, 2024). A plant-forward diet that excludes raw poultry, eggs, or unpasteurized dairy avoids exposure through those categories, while retaining exposure to pathogens that may occur in produce, sprouts, grains, prepared foods, water, or cross-contaminated surfaces (CDC, 2025; IFSAC, 2024). Safe handling and supply-chain controls therefore remain relevant for every dietary pattern (CDC, 2025). The evidence supports describing animal agriculture as an important pathogen reservoir and contamination source for several organisms, not as the sole source of foodborne disease (CDC, 2025; Alegbeleye et al., 2018).
Outbreak-based attribution does not capture all sporadic illness and assumes that outbreak food patterns approximate non-outbreak patterns; this is more valid for some pathogen–food combinations than others (CDC, 2025). The IFSAC estimates are U.S.-specific, use data spanning 1998–2022 with greater weight on recent years, and include wide credibility intervals for some categories (IFSAC, 2024). Proper cooking can reduce viable pathogens in many animal products, while contamination after cooking can reintroduce risk (CDC, 2025). Produce outbreaks are real, and the evidence does not support treating all plant foods as intrinsically low-risk (Painter et al., 2013; IFSAC, 2024).
Supporting Evidence
The Bottom Line
Animal products are important vehicles for Salmonella, Campylobacter, E. coli O157, and Listeria in pathogen-specific surveillance, but plant foods also account for a substantial share of foodborne illness (CDC, 2025; IFSAC, 2024). Animal manure and livestock can contaminate produce and water, but they are not the only contamination routes (Alegbeleye et al., 2018). A plant-forward diet can remove exposure through selected animal-source foods without eliminating the need for food-safety controls (CDC, 2025; IFSAC, 2024).
Practical Takeaways
Risk reduction depends on the food: poultry should be cooked to a safe internal temperature and kept separate from ready-to-eat foods, while produce should be cleaned, stored, and prepared to limit contamination (CDC, 2025).
Sources & Evidence
6 sources cited across 6 claims
Many foodborne pathogens come from animal products
Systematic ReviewAnimal agriculture is a pathogen reservoir
ObservationalPathogen-specific attribution of U.S. illnesses to animal and plant food categories...
ObservationalRaw-poultry hazards, handling guidance, the role of plant foods, and limitations of...
GuidelineThe historical U.S. estimate that produce accounted for many illnesses while poultry...
ObservationalPreharvest produce contamination routes involving manure, water, soil, livestock, and...
Systematic Review