Why have there been so many outbreaks? Are the number of outbreaks increasing and if so, why?

It is true that there are more reported cases of food borne illness.

One reason that we have more reported cases and outbreaks is that awareness has increased and members of the public and medical professionals now recognize food borne illness more frequently when it occurs.

There is more testing of produce at the federal and provincial levels, more testing of people who become ill and better methods for data collection, reporting and trace-back, especially in the United States. All these factors contribute to greater numbers of cases being detected and reported.