As an important strategy for addressing emerging infections in the United States, in 1994 CDC began implementing Emerging Infections Programs (EIPs) in state health departments, in collaboration with local health departments, academic institutions, and organizations of health professionals. EIPs are sites that conduct special population-based surveillance projects, emphasize collaborative epidemiologic and laboratory projects, and pilot and evaluate prevention efforts. The primary foodborne diseases component of the EIP is the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet)--a collaborative effort among CDC, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food and Drug Administration, and the EIP sites. The objectives of FoodNet are to 1) determine more precisely the burden of foodborne diseases in the United States, 2) determine the proportion of specific foodborne diseases associated with certain contaminated foods or with other exposures, and (3) provide the framework to respond rapidly and collaboratively to emerging foodborne diseases. This report summarizes preliminary results from FoodNet for 1996, which document regional and seasonal differences in the incidences of certain bacterial foodborne diseases, and presents findings of the 1995 baseline survey of clinical laboratories, which suggests that, for some pathogens, factors other than differing laboratory practices accounted for regional variations in incidences.