A report released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that consumers respond to foodborne illness outbreaks differently depending on the severity. The case study, produced by Fred Kuchler, Ph.D., an economist with USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS), compared warnings about cantaloupes issued in 2011 and again in 2012. The first recall was due…
Yearly Economic Burden of Foodborne Illness Estimated at $15.5 Billion
The latest estimates from the Department of Agriculture suggest that foodborne illnesses cost the U.S. $15.5 billion each year. “Economic burden of a disease is not the same thing as the impact of a disease on economic indicators like gross domestic product or even the out-of-pocket cost of treating illness,” states USDA’s Economic Research Service…
USDA: Salmonella Tops List of 15 Most Costly Pathogens
Salmonella causes an estimated $3.7 billion each year in medical costs for Americans, according to the latest estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service. That figure places Salmonella at the top of the rankings for the 15 most costly foodborne illnesses. USDA says it regularly updates its cost estimates for foodborne…
USDA: U.S. Foodborne Illnesses Cost More Than $15.6 Billion Annually
New data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Economic Research Service attempt to put a price on the cost of major foodborne illnesses in the United States. 
Rather than interpreting the data, USDA’s economic unit has released spreadsheets for 15 major pathogens in the U.S. that are together responsible for more than 95 percent…
Healthy Foods Are Not Expensive, Government Study Finds
The old theory that healthy foods are a luxury that a tight budget can’t afford is just that – an old theory – according to a government study released Wednesday.
Researchers at the Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (ERS) analyzed more than 4,000 retail foods and found that when measured in price per edible …