The Produce Safety Project, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts at Georgetown University, has publised a report that outlines the economic impact of foodborne illness nationwide in hopes of spurring the U.S. Senate to pass legislation designed to modernize the country's food safety system.
The study, led by a former U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) economist, estimates the total economic impact to be a combined $152 billion annually. Recent foodborne-illness outbreaks to impact quick-service restaurants include the 2008 salmonella outbreak blamed on tomatoes and jalapenos.
"The costs associated with foodborne illness are substantial," said report author Robert L. Scharff, a former FDA economist who is now an assistant professor in the Department of Consumer Sciences at Ohio State University, in a news release. "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 comes as the U.S. Senate may soon vote on comprehensive food-safety legislation. The U.S. House of Representatives passed its food-safety bill (H.R. 2749) last July, and just before Thanksgiving, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions unanimously approved the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510).
"This report makes it clear that the gaps in our food-safety system are causing significant health and economic impacts," says 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."
Major public health, consumer and food safety groups have formed the Make Our Food Safe coalition, which includes the American Public Health Association, Center for Foodborne Illness Research & Prevention, Center for Science in the Public Interest, the Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, Food & Water Watch, National Consumers League, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Safe Tables Our Priority, and Trust for America's Health.
Read also, Telling your food safety story.
