Foodborne Illness Cost US $152 Billion Annually

A study from Ohio State University states that “acute foodborne illnesses cost the United State an estimated $152 billion per year in healthcare, workplace and other economic losses.”

The study, Health-Related Costs from Foodborne Illness in the United States, was written by Dr. Robert L. Scharff, a former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) economist and current Ohio State University assistant professor in the department of consumer sciences. The study estimates that more than a quarter of these costs, an estimated $39 billion, are attributable to foodborne illnesses associated with fresh, canned and processed produce.

Th U.S. food supply has had a series of high-profile outbreaks since 2006, many involving produce such as lettuce, spinach, peppers and peanuts, as well as many meat recalls. These outbreaks led to a rash of illnesses for consumers and cost businesses millions.

An estimated 76 million people in the United States get sick each year with foodborne illness and 5,000 die, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

To see annual heath-related costs for each state, you can view an interactive map produced by the Make Our Food Safe coalition.

Can a Diversified Local Food System Be The Answer?

When you look at the meat recalls and contaminated produce, you’ll see it is coming from the big industrial farms (and yes, even industrial organic). The spinach scare which was traced to 42,000 bags of Dole Baby Spinach processed during a single shift, in a single processing plant. With a highly centralized food and agriculture system, an incidence of contamination is a big deal, and can make people sick in many parts of the country. With a small, local food system, if there is an occurrence of contamination, it will affect a much smaller population, and can be easily traced to the source.

When I think of food security, a local, sustainable food system is what makes the most sense to me. Consumers buying from local farms and ranches will know exactly where their food comes from, unlike that bag or lettuce, or package of ground beef at the big chain grocery store. Buying locally puts more of each dollar in the farmer’s pocket, which help the farmer actually make a living wage. When farmers are making more money, they have more to spend within their community. They can also afford to grow their business and hire local help. A local food system like this also strengthens the community and not only connects us with our food, but with the people who produce it.

We can’t change the system in a day, but we can start making steps to slowly make a change. You can start by supporting local growers, and by supporting organizations like ours.