Foodborne illness or food poisoning outbreaks are caused by microbial, viral, and chemical intoxications. Globalization of the food supply is changing the epidemiology of previously established pathogen–food combinations. Surveillance for foodborne illness is critical to determining the etiology of outbreaks, and advanced molecular subtyping techniques are needed to identify related clusters of illnesses. Understanding the epidemiology of foodborne outbreaks can help to identify root causes and implement effective preventive controls.