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Cost of foodborne illnesses doubles for NZ

The economic cost of major foodborne infections in New Zealand has almost doubled from five years ago – reaching $162 million last year – according to a new report by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority.

The study calculated the total cost associated with illnesses caused by foodborne Campylobacter, Salmonella, Listeria, E coli, Yersinia and norovirus in New Zealand in 2009. It took account costs associated with government regulation and surveillance, business implications, treatment, households, and lost days of work.

New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) Public Health Principal Adviser Dr Donald Campbell said the last estimate, made in 2005, contained a number of uncertainties and data limitations and the latest figure was closer to the true total cost to the country.

“This paints a picture that foodborne illness isn’t trivial,” Dr Campbell said. “Maybe for the individual who gets a couple of days upset it might not seem like a big deal, but for some people it’s very serious – even deadly – and for the country as a whole it’s a major cost.”

Dr Campbell said reliable estimates of both the incidence of foodborne illness and its financial impact were crucial for deciding where to best concentrate effort, time and money in combating foodborne illness.

Dr Campbell said the Campylobacter Risk Management Strategy program was a good example of how Government and industry were working together to reduce the number of cases caused by foodborne bacteria. The New Zealand Goverment and industry contribute a total of $3.25 million to the program each year. Since the launch of the program, the annual number of campylobacteriosis cases between 2006 and 2009 has halved, saving the New Zealand economy $40 million annually.

The full version of the NZFSA report can be downloaded here.

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