Foodborne Illnesses Costs U.S. $152 Billion a Year

America's health care tab for foodborne illnesses is $152 billion a year.

That's the finding of a study by a Pew Charitable Trust project on food safety. The research shows a substantially higher cost than previous estimates (a U.S. Department of Agriculture figure put the number at $6.9 billion a year). The current research includes illnesses from a wider base of sources and includes pain and suffering losses related to illnesses.

While the high-profile recalls of products contaminated by E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria grab headlines, there are a number of other pathogens that send thousands of Americans to the hospital every year.

Even if you want to quibble with the pain and suffering losses, the cost is still more than $100 billion a year, the study shows. And that figure doesn't include the costs to the companies, food industry or the government. Robert L. Scharff, a former Food and Drug Administration economist, wrote the study.

So what to do? The study's backers hope this eye-popping number will help shape policy. This year, the FDA will propose safety standards for growing and packaging fresh fruits and vegetables, which will mark the first time national safety standards for such produce are set. About $39 billion of that annual health care cost is related to produce.

"An up-to-date cost analysis of foodborne illnesses is critical for FDA officials and lawmakers to craft the most effective and efficient reforms,” says Jim O’Hara, director of Pew's Produce Safety Project.