Food-Borne Illness Costs US $152bn Annually

The US spends about $152bn in health-related expenses each year, equating to around $1,850 an illness, a new study by Safety Project says.

The study, which considered 27 known pathogens such as salmonella and listeria, said $39bn of the costs are due to food-borne illnesses linked to fresh, canned and processed produce.

The study found Kentucky had the lowest cost per food-borne case at $1,731, while Hawaii was higher at $2,008 per case.

Food-borne illness affects 76 million people a year in the US and causes 5,000 deaths, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.