In the US, 80% of foodborne illness cases never have a pathogen associated with them, primarily because the cases are mild, so the individual doesn’t seek care or is simply treated for their symptoms. However, the other 20%, which are serious cases for which the pathogen cause is identified, make up 60% of the cost of foodborne illness in the U.S.
These statistics were the subject of the 2025 USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) report, Cost Estimates of Foodborne Illnesses, which estimates the annual cost of foodborne illness in the US to be $74.7 billion in 2023 dollars. Using the CPI inflation calculator, that cost extrapolates to approximately $79 billion in 2025 dollars.
Although the ERS has provided annual estimates for a growing number of pathogens since 1999, it is not possible to compare the years due to the changes in how the estimates were derived. For 2025, for example, ERS updated the data product using information published by Hoffmann et al. (2025) to expand the scope of the cost of all foodborne illness caused by pathogens in the US; update health outcome modeling for all pathogens to reflect the most recent scientific literature available, with particular attention on chronic health outcomes; and update cost estimates with the latest available hospitalization and outpatient data and available literature on cost of chronic outcomes. Additionally, separate studies were conducted to expand on the coverage of prior ERS estimates; including 31 U.S. foodborne illnesses, up from 15 in the previous estimates; and including updated rates of chronic health problems caused by foodborne illnesses.
Through the combined data, the 2025 report provides both total and per-case cost estimates for specific pathogen causes, including:
| Pathogen | Mean number of cases | Mean total cost | Mean per-case cost |
| Norovirus | 5,461,731 | $2,968,300,000 | $543 |
| Salmonella spp., nontyphoidal | 1,027,561 | $17,127,000,000 | $16,668 |
| Campylobacter spp. | 845,024 | $11,327,300,000 | $13,405 |
| STEC O157 & non-O157 | 175,905 | $503,900,000 | $2,865 |
| Toxoplasma gondii (total) | 86,753 | $5,719,300,000 | $65,926 |
| Listeria monocytogenes (total) | 1583 | $3,964,300,000 | $2,504,296 |
| Vibrio vulnificus | 96 | $438,400,000 | $4,566,667 |
| Clostridium botulinum | 55 | $115,600,000 | $2,101,818 |
| Estimated cost of select foodborne illnesses in the United States, by pathogen (U.S. dollars, 2023) | |||
As depicted in the table (in 2023 dollars):
- While the estimated mean per-case cost of mild cases whose pathogen cause is not specified (described as “other foodborne gastroenteritis” in the report) is $781, the cost is six times that ($4,766) for illnesses from identified foodborne pathogens.
- The lowest per-case cost is for Norovirus ($543), but the number of cases is the greatest (5,461,731), so the total comes in at nearly $3 billion annually.
- On the other hand, Vibrio vulnificus has one of the lowest numbers of annual cases (96), but its cost per case is the highest of the eight tabulated pathogens ($4.6 million).
- Although the relative per-case costs of Salmonella spp. and Campylobacter spp. are low, they have the 2nd and 3rd greatest number of cases, bringing their annual costs to $17 billion (Salmonella) and $11 billion (Campylobacter).
While the estimates are focused on medical treatment, employment, and wage costs, along with foodborne illness incidence, hospitalization, and death estimates, the impact of these on the food industry, particularly those involved in a recall due to a related outbreak, is easy to infer: i.e., the greater the number of cases, the higher the costs of recall; and the higher the cost per case, the higher the potential compensation to those impacted.
Additionally, the cost of a recall is likely even higher than many would expect, as the often-cited figure estimating the average cost of recalls to be $10 million is from a 2011 Grocery Manufacturers Association (now the Consumer Brands Association) report. Extrapolating that to 2025 dollars (using the same CPI inflation calculator as above) increases it by 40%, taking the average cost of a recall to more than $14 million in today’s dollar.
With the report aiding in understanding the total impact of foodborne illnesses in the US and the relative impact of different pathogen-specific foodborne pathogens and illnesses, it serves as a reminder to the food industry of the importance of ensuring, not only food-safe practices in your facility, but also a fully integrated food safety culture from the executive floors to the processing floor. While the likelihood of a recall is low for any specific company, the financial impact is significant; so having a well-rehearsed and practiced crisis management plan is key to limiting costs and controlling reputational risks. Distributing safe food to market is essential for the health of consumers and the relative “health” of your business.
