The United States loses $152 billion a year in medical costs caused by foodborne illnesses, according to a report released today by a food safety group. One-fourth of that cost — about $39 billion — is attributable to illnesses related to produce, both fresh and processed.
California had the highest costs of any state stemming from foodborne illnesses — $18.6 billion, according to the report released by the Produce Safety Project at Georgetown University. Following California in cost were Texas, New York and Florida.
The costliest pathogens were campylobacter, salmonella and listeria, although unknown agents caused the bulk of foodborne illnesses.
The report, by former Food and Drug Administration economist Robert L. Scharff, takes into account medical and insurance costs, as well as quality-of-life losses, such as death, pain and disability.
From the Produce Safety Project:
An up-to-date cost analysis of foodborne illnesses is critical for FDA officials and lawmakers to craft the most effective and efficient reforms,” said Jim O’Hara, PSP director. “A decade ago, we spent more than $1.3 billion annually to try to reduce the burden of foodborne illness and today we are spending even more. 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.
An estimated 76 million cases of foodborne illnesses occur in the U.S. each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An estimated 19.7 million of these cases are related to fresh, canned and processed produce. Some 300,000 people are hospitalized and 5,000 people killed yearly by eating tainted food, according to the CDC.
The Produce Safety Project study expands greatly on the costs estimated by a U.S. Department of Agriculture study in late 2000. That study found foodborne illnesses cause $6.9 billion in losses annually, but only included costs from five food-related pathogens and excluded pain and suffering costs. Even without including pain and suffering, the new report from the Produce Safety Project estimates the cost of foodborne illnesses at $103 billion.
