Foodborne illnesses account for about 1% of all hospitalizations and 1 of every 500 deaths in the United States according to a USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) report. The report also estimates that, each year in the United States, $6.9 billion in medical costs, lost productivity and premature deaths can be attributed to the just five foodborne pathogens, Camploybacter, Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes and Toxoplasma gondii. These expenses do not reflect the cost related to travel to see specialists, lost work of relatives who must care for foodborne illness victims, the deep emotional toll that can result from caring for foodborne illness victims or the long term care concerns that can develop from a food poisoning. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates 2 to 3 percent of foodborne illness victims develop long-term medical complications resulting in over 1.5 million lingering health problems per year.
Richard J. Arsenault, 2010
To properly prevent food borne illness, we must consider the source of the deadly pathogens. Every year, thousands of shipments are contaminated with deadly bacteria because of the use of wood pallets. Made out of porous wood scraps, wood pallets provide a literal breeding ground for bacteria and food borne pathogens like E. Coli and Listeria. As your post points out illnesses caused by food borne pathogens costs money and lives – and some of these instances can be avoided by discontinuing the use of wood pallets. I write extensively about this topic at my website http://www.pallettruth.com if you’d like to take a look.