Table 1.

Assignable and Unassignable Outbreaks by Major Food Groups, 1998–2014 (N = 18,203)

	Outbreaks
Food category	N	%
Total	18,203	100.0
Assignable to food hierarchy	4607	25.3
Aquatic animals	1189	6.5
Land animals	2174	11.9
Plants	1079	5.9
Othera	165	0.9
Unassignable to food hierarchy	13,596	74.7
Multiple-Ingredient Food	3740	20.5
Multiple Foods Reportedb	1023	5.6
Unclassifiablec	421	2.3
No food entered	8412	46.2

^aOther outbreaks are those with implicated foods such as alcohol, coffee, other beverages, and condiments.

^b“Multiple Foods Reported” outbreaks are those with more than one food reported and with the reported items belonging to different food categories.

^cUnclassifiable outbreaks are those with ill-defined foods implicated (e.g., buffet, appetizer).