The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s reorganization plan, which would relocate a key agricultural research agency outside Washington, DC, has drawn increasing criticism from those who know and depend on its economic and statistical analyses. First announced during Congress’s summer recess in August, the reorganization plan for the USDA’s
Continue Reading American Statistical Association wants Congress to demand details on USDA plan for research service
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.
Continue Reading USDA Case Study: Consumers Seem to Recognize the Most Dangerous Outbreaks
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,”
Continue Reading Yearly Economic Burden of Foodborne Illness Estimated at $15.5 Billion
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
Continue Reading USDA: Salmonella Tops List of 15 Most Costly Pathogens
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
Continue Reading USDA: U.S. Foodborne Illnesses Cost More Than $15.6 Billion Annually
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
Continue Reading Healthy Foods Are Not Expensive, Government Study Finds
