Foodborne illness across the US is costs the economy US$152bn a year, according to research by a former US Food and Drug Administration economist.
The study ranks states according to their total costs related to foodborne illness and found that the cost per case for an individual is $1,850 on average nationwide.
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The three states with the highest costs per case are Hawaii, Florida and Connecticut, the Health-Related Costs from Foodborne Illness in the United States report noted.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that around 76m new cases of food-related illness – resulting in 5,000 deaths and 325,000 visits to hospital – occur in the US each year. Continuing outbreaks every year show that this is not a problem that is going away, the report stated.
“The costs associated with foodborne illness are substantial,” said report author Robert Scharff, former FDA economist and assistant professor in the Department of Consumer Sciences at The Ohio State University. “This study puts the problem of foodborne illness in its proper perspective and should help facilitate reasonable action designed to mitigate this problem.”
The release of the report, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts at Georgetown University, comes as the US Senate prepares to vote on comprehensive food-safety legislation.
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By GlobalData“This report makes it clear that the gaps in our food-safety system are causing significant health and economic impacts,” said Erik Olson, director of food and consumer product safety with the Pew Health Group. “Especially in challenging economic times we cannot afford to waste billions of dollars fighting preventable diseases after it is too late. The Senate needs to act on this now and pass legislation that will improve protections for public health.”
The report can be found at www.MakeOurFoodSafe.org.
