This article briefly presents the two French systems for food alert management and food-borne outbreak surveillance  as well as a specific annual report for both systems. The food alert management system and food-borne outbreak surveillance are considered complementary to optimise consumer safety.

Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) is a ubiquitous bacterium responsible for a rare but serious infection: listeriosis. Transmitted through the consumption of contaminated food, listeriosis is fatal in 20% to 30% of cases. It mainly affects people with a weakened immune system. Therefore, the surveillance of strains isolated from the food chain and the environment is essential. An effective food chain surveillance

serotyping results for Salmonella isolated on a voluntary basis in the food chain, in all industries and sectors. This outbreak surveillance supplements the official inspections undertaken every year. This massive volume of data collected by ANSES confirms the trends and emerging strains reported at European level. All origins combined, S. Typhimurium and its monophasic variants as well as S. Enteritidis are the main isolated strains. For many years, Salmonella has been a major microbiological contaminant responsible for foodborne epidemics in France and Europe. Optimising the

Shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) are considered as major pathogens causing severe and sometimes lethal  infections in humans. Although more than 200 serotypes have been reported, only seven of them have been consistently associated with severe cases. Transmission of VTEC to humans occurs mainly through consumption of undercooked minced beef contaminated by animal faeces.