According to the best available estimates by public health and food safety experts, millions of illnesses and thousands of deaths each year in this country can be traced to contaminated food. The following describes the scope of the problem:

* The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that foodborne microorganisms cause 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations and an unknown number of chronic conditions.

* The CDC estimates that foodborne illness causes 5,000 deaths each year.

* While the likelihood of serious complications is unknown, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates that about 2 to 3 percent of all foodborne illness cases lead to secondary long-term illnesses. For example, E. coli O157:H7 can cause kidney failure in young children and infants.  About 1.5 percent of E. coli O157:H7 disease patients develop hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which involves red blood cell destruction, kidney failure, and neurological complications.  Salmonella can lead to reactive arthritis and serious infections; Listeria can cause meningitis and stillbirths; and Campylobacter may be the most common precipitating factor for Guillain-Barre syndrome.

·          Since 1982, E. coli O157:H7 has emerged as an important cause of foodborne illness. The CDC estimates this pathogen causes approximately 73,000 cases of infection and 61 deaths in the United States each year (2005 figure).

·          The bacterial pathogens with the highest relative incidence during 1996-2001 were Campylobacter, Salmonella, and Shigella.

·          The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1.4 million people in the United States are infected each year with Salmonella. Only a small proportion of infected people are tested and diagnosed, with as few as 2 percent of cases reported to CDC.

·          According to the CDC, Campylobacter is the most common bacterial cause of diarrhea in the United States, resulting 2.5 million cases per year.

·          Shigellosis, also called bacillary dysentery, causes bloody diarrhea, fever, nausea, vomiting, and cramps. The CDC estimates that more than 400,000 cases occur every year in the United States.

 ·          According to the CDC, incidences of Listeriosis have declined to about 3.0 cases per 1 million population in 2005.  However, about 1/3 of all cases of Listeriosis occur in pregnant women and it can be very harmful to the fetus and to the expectant mother.