Are there any plans to do this work anywhere else in CA? San Joaquin Valley?
There are no current plans to expand the CALS study to other regions of California, such as the San Joaquin Valley. Significant work remains to analyze and publish the data generated from the CALS project.
In parallel, FDA is currently supporting a separate multi-year longitudinal environmental study in Indiana in collaboration with Purdue University and agricultural stakeholders. The focus is on assessing risks related to how Salmonella is distributed and survives in the environment in Indiana. Additional information about that project is available here: https://www.fda.gov/food/hfp-constituent-updates/fda-partners-purdue-university-and-indiana-agricultural-stakeholders-multi-year-environmental
Excellent research. Do these patterns reflect Central Coast–specific factors, or the broader environmental microbiome likely present in many regions? How can the data inform practical mitigation?
It is still too early to determine the extent to which these findings reflect conditions specific to the Central Coast versus broader environmental microbiome patterns that may occur in other agricultural regions. Additional analyses are ongoing, and until these datasets are more fully evaluated, caution should be exercised when extrapolating the findings to other regions or applying them to practical mitigation strategies.
From what you learned, what are the next three experiments you are burning to do?/What do you see as next steps for research?
The CALS dataset is still being actively analyzed, with several manuscripts planned. It would be pre-mature to extrapolate on experimental next steps until we have had a chance to fully analyze and integrate the data from our current study into publicly available peer-reviewed literature.
Given the sporadic findings, how best should growers deal with this risk? Based on the overall findings, are there any specific actions, mitigations or best practices that can be implemented at this time?
Once we have fully analyzed and published these datasets, it is our intention to work with external groups to better understand how these data may assist the growing industry to assess and mitigate potential areas of risk.
Is this WGS data going to be available for outbreak investigations? If so, what plans are being considered to protect the privacy of those that allowed sample collection?
Yes. The WGS data will be made publicly available through the NCBI database (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). Isolates will be associated with the CALS project; however, no site-specific information will be included that could link isolates to privately sampled locations.
Samir’s current thinking slide looks identical to the one presented in AZ. So the studies have not moved thinking at all?
The consistency in our current thinking is intentional in that CALS was not designed to change FDA’s regulatory framework, and it hasn't. What it has done is significantly strengthen the scientific foundation beneath that framework.
More importantly, the regional nature of these findings is precisely why stakeholder-led action is the right response. FDA is best positioned to set broad-based, globally applicable standards, but regional stakeholders, with their on-the-ground knowledge and operational context, are better equipped to translate these findings into targeted, practical risk mitigation. CALS gives them a stronger scientific basis to do exactly that, and FDA stands ready to provide technical support in that effort.
When will we learn about the results regarding Campylobacter?
These data are currently being analyzed with plans to publish a manuscript in 2026 or 2027. The data will be a technical presentation at the annual meeting of the International Association of Food Protection (IAFP). The abstract will be available then. Harrison, L. M., R. F. Bond, A.-L. Moyne, M. Pereira, H. Jang, U. S. Babu, K. V. Balan, M. K. Mammel, M. Sawyer, S. Basa, P. Aminabadi, A. Sarrubi, B. Kakacek, C. Palen, K. L. Hiett, M. Jay-Russell, and E. R. Atwill. 2026. Pathogenic Campylobacter spp. circulating in livestock and wildlife in California during a California Longitudinal Study. (Abstract #P1-144). Monday July 27, Annual IAFP meeting 2026, New Orleans, LA, July 26-29.
Will data be shared at some point if findings related to Salmonella?
Yes. These data are currently being analyzed with plans to publish a manuscript in 2026 or 2027. The data will be a technical presentation at the annual meeting of the International Association of Food Protection (IAFP). The abstract will be available then. Bell, R. L., A.-L. Moyne, X. Wei, R. F. Bond., P. Aminabadi, M. Jay-Russell, A. Brover, Q. Jin, C. Duda, J. Wolny, C. Grim, R. Literman, S. R. Leonard, J. A. Kase, E. R. Atwill, and L. J. Harris. 2026. Longitudinal survey of Salmonella prevalence in California’s Central Coast. (Abstract #T4-08). Tuesday, July 28, Annual IAFP meeting 2026, New Orleans, LA, July 26-29.
Will the presentation slides be made public?
At this time, the presentation slides will not be made publicly available. The data from the CALS study are still being analyzed, and several manuscripts are planned for publication in 2026 and 2028. In addition, multiple aspects of the study are expected to be presented as posters or technical presentations at the 2026 annual meeting of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP). A list of associated abstracts are posted on this website.