Foodborne illnesses send $152 billion to healthcare industry each year

Acute foodborne illnesses send $152 billion to the healthcare industry each year in the United States, according to a report published today by the Produce Safety Project (PSP).

Dr. Robert L. Scharff, assistant professor at Ohio State University conducted the Health-Related Costs from Foodborne Illness in the United States and estimated that more than a quarter of these costs or about $39 billion are attributed to foodborne illness linked to fresh, canned and processed produce.

In comparison, the health spending for foodborne illness a decade ago was about $1.3 billion.  The study was intended to provide FDA officials and lawmakers an up-to-date cost analysis of foodborne illnesses so wiser measures may be taken to prevent the costly yet preventable illnesses.

According to a press release by PSP, produce, fresh, canned or processed, accounts for roughly 19,700,000 of the total illnesses reported at a cost of nearly $2000 per case and $39 billion annually in economic losses.

"We need to make certain we are spending limited funds wisely and hitting our target of reducing sicknesses and deaths, and this study gives us a yardstick to measure our progress," said Jim O'Hara, PSP director.

Scharff, former U.S. Food and Drug Administration economist, performed the analysis based on the methodology adopted by the FDA and USDA economists. He found California, Texas, New York, Florida, Illinois and Pennsylvania spend highest amounts of money due to the foodborne illnesses.

The highest costs per case was found in Hawaii, Florida, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, the District of Columbia, Mississippi, New York, Massachusetts and New Jersey.

Make Our Food Safe coalition reported March 3 citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that about 76 million new cases of food related illnesses are recorded each year in the United States including 5,000 deaths and 325,000 hospitalizations.

By Jimmy Downs

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