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In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, our hosts Matt and Francine are talking about some very high, but also very preventable, costs: those resulting from foodborne illnesses.

Our hosts are unpacking the Cost Estimates of Foodborne Illnesses data for 2023, released by the USDA in December 2025. You'll learn the real cost of diseases such as Salmonella, Norovirus, Listeria, Botulism, and more.

In this episode:

0:03:38 Norovirus: largest number of cases

0:08:54 Salmonella: greatest overall cost

0:11:19 E.coli, Botulism, Vibrio: surprising numbers

0:13:07 Listeria: fewer cases, deadly costs

0:23:10 How to get buy-in for food safety initiatives

Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.

Resources from this episode

Read the Marler Blog article Matt and Francine refer to in this episode.

Check out Francine's QSR Magazine 2018 article on the cost of foodborne illness.

Catch up with Episode 144 | Apparently, a Little Salmonella in Poultry is Okay. But Should It Really Be?

Also listen to Episode 122 | Listeria’s Lasting Damage: A Food Safety Wake-Up Call

Noteworthy quotes from this episode

“ You have an easier chance of getting a one on a roll of a dice than surviving Listeriosis. It is like one in three, one in four, depending upon the outbreak. So you have a 25% to 33% chance of death when you get Listeriosis. Not good.” – Matt Regusci

“ Those are the things that people don't think about. They see these numbers. These are numbers on our screens at this point. People see numbers, and they hear statistics [but] these are human lives.” – Francine L Shaw

We hope you enjoy this episode!

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The U$74.7 Billion Price Tag of Foodborne Illnesses in 2023 | Episode 152