Infectious diseases transmitted by foods have become a major public health concern in recent years. Response by both the food industry and public health and food safety regulatory agencies to new microbiologic health threats and reemerging pathogens in foods has been primarily reactive. The multiplicity of factors and complex interactions involved in the emergence and reemergence of microbial foodborne hazards and the need for a multifaceted and integrated approach to protecting the population prompted a national Conference on Emerging Foodborne Pathogens: Implications and Control (March 24-26, 1997, Alexandria, Virginia).

The conference, attended by more than 400 scientists in basic and applied research, epidemiology, and public health, was organized to elucidate programs and initiatives that could be used to identify and respond appropriately and proactively to emerging and reemerging foodborne disease threats.

Representing the conference organizers were Dr. Alex Malaspina, president of the International Life Sciences Institute; Dr. David Satcher, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Mr. Thomas Billy, administrator of the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture; Dr. Fred Shank, director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; and Sir George Alleyne, director of the Pan American Health Organization. Their opening remarks reflected a strong commitment to collaboration among different sectors, development of integrated approaches to food safety, implementation of President Clinton's food safety initiative, and international cooperation in the fight against foodborne disease.

Nobel laureate Dr. Joshua Lederberg delivered the keynote address, in which he called for a global public health approach to the threats posed by microbial foodborne illness. Dr. Richard Hall's closing address summarized the key points of the conference presentations, emphasized the need for concerted control efforts by the public and private sectors, and suggested prioritizing foodborne disease risks according to their probable impact.

Conference organizers hope that the publication of conference presentations and discussions in this journal will stimulate initiatives to improve the safety of food and draw much needed attention to foodborne microbial hazards.