A compiled reference of 53 verified statistics on foodborne illness in the United States: the national burden and why CDC now publishes two versions of it (47.8 million illnesses, 127,839 hospitalizations and 3,037 deaths a year from all causes; 9.9 million illnesses from six pathogens in 2019, and 53,300 hospitalizations and 931 deaths from those six plus Toxoplasma gondii), what laboratories confirm in a year, how many outbreaks are reported and where they happen (restaurants are the preparation location in 61 percent of single-location outbreaks), what investigators record as the cause (ill workers contribute to 41 percent of restaurant and retail outbreaks with an identified contributing factor), what federal specialists observe in a kitchen, norovirus in food service, what it all costs ($74.7 billion a year, and $3,968 to $2.6 million for one restaurant), and the recall record upstream of the kitchen.
Key statistics
7 highlights from this report
Key statistics
Key takeaways
Foodborne illness is measured three different ways and the numbers do not line up: tens of millions of estimated cases, tens of thousands of lab-confirmed infections, and about 15,000 illnesses a year inside reported outbreaks. This page keeps the three separate and shows what each can and cannot say.
CDC's only all-cause estimate remains 47.8 million illnesses, 127,839 hospitalizations and 3,037 deaths a year; its 2025 update covers six pathogens for illnesses, seven for hospitalizations and deaths, and does not replace it.
About 800 outbreaks are reported a year, roughly 19 illnesses each, and 57.2 percent of outbreaks reported in 2014-2022 named no contributing factor at all.
Restaurants are where the food was prepared in 61 percent of single-location outbreaks, about five for every one traced to a private home.
Ill food workers contribute to 41 percent of restaurant and retail outbreaks with an identified contributing factor, and 70 percent of food-related norovirus outbreaks trace to an infected worker.
Only 16.1 percent of outbreak restaurants had a sick-worker policy meeting all four assessed Food Code components, and 43.6 percent offered paid sick leave to anyone.
FDA specialists found 95 percent of full-service restaurants out of compliance on holding temperature; a documented food safety management system cut average failures from 5.84 to 2.09.
Foodborne illness costs $74.7 billion a year, and one outbreak costs a single restaurant $3,968 to $2.6 million.
How we built this report
Every figure was compiled in September 2026 from the publisher's own report, dataset or interface and verified against the original before publishing.
- The illness side only
Inspection counts, violation rates, permit fees and fines are on our restaurant health inspection and permit-fee pages and are deliberately not repeated here. This page covers burden, outbreaks, causes, cost, norovirus and recalls.
- Federal surveillance first
CDC's burden estimates, FoodNet, the National Outbreak Reporting System and the National Environmental Assessment Reporting System for illness and outbreaks; FDA's own observations for kitchen practice; the USDA Economic Research Service for cost; the openFDA enforcement interface for recalls.
- The two burden estimates kept apart
CDC's 2011 all-cause estimate and its 2025 seven-pathogen update are both presented, and every card and artifact says which is which. Neither is subtracted from the other.
- Denominators stated on every outbreak figure
Outbreak percentages are of the outbreaks that reported a contributing factor, never of all outbreaks, and each card names the population and period it belongs to.
- Secondhand figures dropped
Counts that FDA quotes from CDC surveillance and a peer-reviewed analysis we did not read are not carried as verified statistics; they appear only in the unverified list, with the reason.
- Independent review
Written by one co-founder, reviewed by the other before publishing.
Scope caveat: the all-cause burden estimate is a 2011 publication built on circa-2006 data and remains the most recent of its kind. Outbreak surveillance captures a small and shrinking slice of foodborne illness, and reporting fell 64.5 percent from 2014-2016 to 2020-2022 largely for pandemic-era staffing reasons. The NEARS figures come from 25 participating health departments and are not nationally representative. FDA's observed compliance data is from 2013-2014. Recall records cover FDA-regulated foods only, and count product records rather than recall events. Inspection frequency, violation and fee figures are on our restaurant health inspection statistics page.
Where outbreaks happen
Share of analyzed outbreaks by setting, three periods, from CDC's contributing-factor surveillanceThe longer series, counted a different way
Across 2009-2015, restaurants were the single reported preparation location in 2,880 of 4,696 outbreaks (61 percent), catering and banquet facilities in 636 (14 percent) and private homes in 561 (12 percent). Sit-down restaurants alone were 2,239 (48 percent). Restaurants produced the smallest average outbreak, 11.6 illnesses, and institutions the largest at 46.5.
The three-period bars use the 2,677 outbreaks of 2014-2022 that reported a contributing factor, not all 6,618 reported outbreaks. The nonpublic-setting figure is CDC's statement that about 16.5 percent of outbreaks in each period included an item prepared in a nonpublic setting, private homes included, so it is not directly comparable to the restaurant bars. Prepared-at and eaten-at overlap and do not sum to 100 percent.
What investigators write down as the cause
Contributing factors in restaurant and retail outbreaks, two CDC surveillance systems side by side| Contributing factor | Share | Population and period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contamination before the food reached final preparation, from an animal or environmental source | 26.0% | Analyzed outbreaks with a reported factor (n=2,677), 2014-2022 | CDC NORS surveillance, published 2025 |
| Contamination by a worker suspected of being ill, mode other than cross-contamination | 20.8% | Outbreaks with an identified factor (n=500), 2017-2019 | CDC NEARS report, published 2023 |
| Contaminated raw food as the source | 17.6% | Outbreaks with an identified factor (n=500), 2017-2019 | CDC NEARS report, published 2023 |
| Bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food by an infectious worker | 16.5% | Analyzed outbreaks with a reported factor (n=2,677), 2014-2022 | CDC NORS surveillance, published 2025 |
| Bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food by a worker suspected of being ill | 14.4% | Outbreaks with an identified factor (n=500), 2017-2019 | CDC NEARS report, published 2023 |
| Cross-contamination of ingredients | 13.6% | Outbreaks with an identified factor (n=500), 2017-2019 | CDC NEARS report, published 2023 |
| Unknown or indirect hand contact with food by an infectious worker | 13.1% | Analyzed outbreaks with a reported factor (n=2,677), 2014-2022 | CDC NORS surveillance, published 2025 |
| Food left out of temperature control for a prolonged period during preparation | 13.1% | Analyzed outbreaks with a reported factor (n=2,677), 2014-2022 | CDC NORS surveillance, published 2025 |
| Food left out of temperature control during service or display | 11.5% | Analyzed outbreaks with a reported factor (n=2,677), 2014-2022 | CDC NORS surveillance, published 2025 |
| Inadequate time or temperature during initial cooking or thermal processing | 11.0% | Analyzed outbreaks with a reported factor (n=2,677), 2014-2022 | CDC NORS surveillance, published 2025 |
| Improper or slow cooling of hot food | 10.6% | Outbreaks with an identified factor (n=500), 2017-2019 | CDC NEARS report, published 2023 |
| Inadequate time or temperature during reheating | 7.3% | Analyzed outbreaks with a reported factor (n=2,677), 2014-2022 | CDC NORS surveillance, published 2025 |
| Any factor involving an ill worker (bare hand, gloved hand or other contact) | 41.0% | Outbreaks with an identified factor (n=500), 2017-2019 | CDC NEARS report, published 2023 |
The two systems have different denominators and neither is nationally representative: the 2014-2022 percentages are of 2,677 outbreaks that reported a factor, and the 2017-2019 percentages are of the 500 outbreaks with an identified factor among 800 reported by 25 participating health departments. Shares do not sum to 100 percent because an outbreak can have several factors. Factor wording is paraphrased from the reports.
Burden against cost, rung by rung
How the case counts and the dollars line up, and where they cannot be comparedAll causes, CDC's 2011 estimate on circa-2006 data. 127,839 hospitalizations, 3,037 deaths.
$74.7 billion a year, $1,564 per case (USDA, 2023 dollars)The 31 identified pathogens in the same 2011 estimate. 55,961 hospitalizations, 1,351 deaths.
$44.7 billion, $4,766 per caseUnspecified agents: gastroenteritis with no pathogen identified. 78,878 hospitalizations, 1,686 deaths.
$30.0 billion, $781 per caseCDC's 2025 update: six pathogens caused about 9.9 million domestically acquired illnesses in 2019; those six plus Toxoplasma gondii caused 53,300 hospitalizations and 931 deaths. Not comparable to the rows above.
Not priced by USDA as a groupThe largest single pathogen in both estimates.
$3.0 billion, $543 per caseThe most expensive pathogen in total.
$17.1 billion, $16,668 per caseSecond most expensive in total.
$11.3 billion, $13,405 per caseThe rarest and by far the costliest per case.
$4.0 billion, $2,504,296 per caseCase counts are CDC estimates; the dollar figures are the USDA Economic Research Service's, which price the 2011 case counts in 2023 dollars, so the pathogen case counts in the cost column are USDA's inputs and differ slightly from CDC's 2019 update. The 2019 row is a six-pathogen illness estimate (seven pathogens for its hospitalizations and deaths) and is shown for reference, not as a trend line.
Foodborne illness, by the numbers
All 59 figures, grouped by theme: 53 quoted from the publisher's own report, dataset or interface and independently verified, plus six RapidEye computations that name their inputs, followed by the claims that circulate and were deliberately not used.
Rates the sources imply
Six figures below are RapidEye arithmetic on the verified sources that follow: the restaurant-to-home outbreak ratio, illnesses per reported outbreak, the share of national cost carried by identified pathogens, the price of a Listeria case, the Listeria share of recall records, and why the two halves of the 2019 estimate cannot be divided into a hospitalization rate. Each names its inputs, and every input appears as its own card further down this page.
Statistic 1
Restaurants were the reported preparation location for 2,880 of the 4,696 single-location outbreaks of 2009-2015, 61 percent, against 561 in private homes: 5.1 restaurant outbreaks for every home outbreak. The gap narrows on illnesses, because restaurants produced 43 percent of outbreak illnesses on 61 percent of outbreaks, an average of 11.6 illnesses each against 46.5 at institutions.
RapidEye Research, computed from CDC's national foodborne disease outbreak surveillance for 2009-2015
Statistic 2
About 800 reported outbreaks a year producing about 15,000 illnesses works out to roughly 19 illnesses per reported outbreak; 800 hospitalizations is 5.3 percent of those illnesses and 20 deaths is about 1 death per 750 outbreak illnesses.
RapidEye Research, computed from CDC's stated annual outbreak, illness, hospitalization and death counts
Statistic 3
The 31 identified pathogens are 9,388,133 of the 47,780,837 annual cases USDA prices, 19.6 percent, but $44.74 billion of the $74.72 billion total, 59.9 percent. Per case that is $4,766 against $781 for unspecified gastroenteritis, a 6.1-fold difference.
RapidEye Research, computed from the USDA Economic Research Service cost data product, Table 1
Statistic 4
Listeria is the clearest example of rare and expensive: 1,583 cases a year are 0.003 percent of the 47.8 million, yet $3.96 billion is 5.3 percent of the national cost, and $2,504,296 per case is about 4,600 times the $543 a norovirus case costs. FoodNet's 2024 records show why the price is so high: 175 of 182 infections, 96.2 percent, were hospitalized and 14.8 percent died.
RapidEye Research, computed from the USDA Economic Research Service cost data product, Table 2, and CDC FoodNet 2024 preliminary data, Table 1
Statistic 5
Listeria was named in 644 of the 2,155 FDA food enforcement records of 2023, 29.9 percent, so roughly 3 in 10 recall records that year cited it. Total records fell from a 2,155 peak in 2023 to 1,409 in 2024, then rose to 1,617 in 2025, leaving 2025 25.0 percent below the peak; Class I records ran 1,224, 496 and 773 over the same years.
RapidEye Research, computed from the openFDA food enforcement reports interface
Statistic 6
The two halves of CDC's 2019 estimate do not share a denominator: the 9.9 million illness estimate covers six pathogens while the 53,300 hospitalizations and 931 deaths include a seventh, Toxoplasma gondii, so the two cannot be divided into a clean hospitalization rate. Within the six-pathogen illness estimate, norovirus alone is 5.5 million of the 9.9 million illnesses, 56 percent, and it is also the leading cause of foodborne hospitalizations at 22,400 a year.
RapidEye Research, computed from CDC's 2025 burden update in Emerging Infectious Diseases
What this means: Two ratios do most of the explaining on this page. Restaurants generate five outbreaks for every one traced to a private home, and the small minority of cases caused by identified pathogens carries three fifths of the national bill.
The national burden, and why there are two versions of it
According to CDC's 2011 burden estimates in Emerging Infectious Diseases (cdc.gov), contaminated food eaten in the United States causes 47.8 million illnesses, 127,839 hospitalizations and 3,037 deaths a year, of which 31 known pathogens account for 9.4 million illnesses, 55,961 hospitalizations and 1,351 deaths, with norovirus alone causing 58 percent of the pathogen-attributed illnesses. According to CDC's 2025 burden update in Emerging Infectious Diseases (cdc.gov), six pathogens caused about 9.9 million domestically acquired illnesses in 2019; those six plus Toxoplasma gondii caused 53,300 hospitalizations and 931 deaths, with norovirus leading illnesses and hospitalizations and nontyphoidal Salmonella leading deaths. The two estimates are not interchangeable: the first is all causes, the second is a named handful of pathogens, and CDC has published no all-cause replacement.
Statistic 7
Contaminated food eaten in the United States causes an estimated 47.8 million illnesses, 127,839 hospitalizations and 3,037 deaths each year (the CDC "48 million / 128,000 / 3,000" headline).
CDC, Emerging Infectious Diseases, national foodborne illness burden estimate for unspecified agents, 2011
Statistic 8
31 known pathogens cause 9.4 million foodborne illnesses, 55,961 hospitalizations and 1,351 deaths a year; norovirus alone causes 58% of those illnesses.
CDC, Emerging Infectious Diseases, national foodborne illness burden estimate for major pathogens, 2011
Statistic 9
CDC's 2025 update: six pathogens caused about 9.9 million domestically acquired illnesses in 2019; those six plus Toxoplasma gondii caused 53,300 hospitalizations and 931 deaths. The six are Campylobacter, Clostridium perfringens, invasive Listeria monocytogenes, norovirus, nontyphoidal Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli. This covers those pathogens only and is not a replacement for, or comparable with, the all-cause 48 million figure.
CDC's 2025 burden update in Emerging Infectious Diseases, covering six pathogens for 2019 illnesses and those six plus Toxoplasma gondii for hospitalizations and deaths
Statistic 10
In the 2019 estimates norovirus caused 5.5 million foodborne illnesses a year, Campylobacter 1.9 million, nontyphoidal Salmonella 1.3 million, C. perfringens 889,000, STEC 357,000 and invasive Listeria 1,250.
CDC's 2025 burden update in Emerging Infectious Diseases, covering six pathogens for 2019 illnesses and those six plus Toxoplasma gondii for hospitalizations and deaths
Statistic 11
Norovirus is the leading cause of foodborne hospitalizations (22,400 a year), followed by Campylobacter (13,000) and Salmonella (12,500); Salmonella is the leading cause of death (about 238 a year), then Campylobacter (197), norovirus (174) and Listeria (172).
CDC's 2025 burden update in Emerging Infectious Diseases, covering six pathogens for 2019 illnesses and those six plus Toxoplasma gondii for hospitalizations and deaths
Statistic 12
For every lab-confirmed case, CDC estimates about 39 nontyphoidal Salmonella illnesses and about 53 Campylobacter illnesses actually occurred (underdiagnosis multipliers).
CDC's 2025 burden update in Emerging Infectious Diseases, covering six pathogens for 2019 illnesses and those six plus Toxoplasma gondii for hospitalizations and deaths
Statistic 13
Estimated Campylobacter foodborne illnesses more than doubled between the 2011 and 2025 estimates (845,000 to 1,870,000), largely because culture-independent diagnostic tests now catch infections that were missed. CDC attributes the rise to the diagnostic change, not necessarily to more disease.
CDC's 2025 burden update in Emerging Infectious Diseases, covering six pathogens for 2019 illnesses and those six plus Toxoplasma gondii for hospitalizations and deaths
What this means: The 48 million headline is a 2011 estimate built on circa-2006 data and it is still the only all-cause number CDC publishes. The 2025 update is the current science for the six pathogens it covers, and its underdiagnosis multipliers, up to 53 for Campylobacter, are the reason a lab-confirmed case count is never the case count.
What laboratories actually confirm in a year
According to CDC's FoodNet 2024 preliminary data (cdc.gov), the network's 10 sites, covering about 15 percent of the U.S. population, reported 24,624 laboratory-diagnosed infections, 6,746 hospitalizations and 178 deaths from eight pathogens, 84 percent of them domestically acquired; Salmonella incidence was unchanged against the 2016-2018 baseline while STEC, Yersinia, Vibrio, Shigella and Cyclospora rose; and 78 percent of bacterial infections were diagnosed by culture-independent tests, up from 47 percent. These are the pre-2023-expansion sites only, about 15 percent of the population, and Campylobacter reporting became optional in 2025, so its 2024 count is not comparable with earlier years.
Statistic 14
In 2024 FoodNet's 10 sites (15% of the US population) reported 24,624 laboratory-diagnosed infections, 6,746 hospitalizations and 178 deaths from eight foodborne pathogens; 84% were domestically acquired.
CDC FoodNet, 2024 preliminary surveillance data, reviewed April 2026
Statistic 15
Salmonella incidence in 2024 was 18.0 per 100,000 (crude), unchanged versus 2016-2018 (IRR 1.03); STEC rose to 7.1 per 100,000 (IRR 1.30); Yersinia more than doubled (IRR 2.62); Listeria stayed at 0.4 per 100,000.
CDC FoodNet, 2024 preliminary surveillance data, Table 1, reviewed April 2026
Statistic 16
Listeria is rare but lethal: of 182 FoodNet Listeria infections in 2024, 96.2% were hospitalized and 14.8% died; Salmonella hospitalized 30.0% and killed 0.7%.
CDC FoodNet, 2024 preliminary surveillance data, Table 1, reviewed April 2026
Statistic 17
78% of bacterial infections were diagnosed by culture-independent diagnostic tests in 2024, up from 47% in 2016-2018, and Salmonella Enteritidis remained the top serotype (21% of cultured Salmonella).
CDC FoodNet, 2024 preliminary surveillance data, reviewed April 2026
What this means: Only 4.2 percent of confirmed 2024 infections were linked to a recognized outbreak. The other 96 percent were sporadic cases nobody investigated, which is the argument for controlling the practices on this page rather than waiting for an outbreak to be declared.
Outbreaks, and where they happen
According to CDC's MMWR surveillance summary of contributing factors for 2014-2022 (cdc.gov), about 800 foodborne outbreaks are reported in the United States each year, causing about 15,000 illnesses, 800 hospitalizations and 20 deaths; 6,618 outbreaks were reported to the National Outbreak Reporting System over those nine years but 57.2 percent listed no contributing factor, leaving 2,677 analyzable, and restaurants were where the implicated food was prepared in 57.6, 63.2 and 58.8 percent of them across the three periods. According to CDC's national outbreak surveillance for 2009-2015 (cdc.gov), restaurants were the single preparation location in 2,880 of 4,696 outbreaks, 61 percent, ahead of catering and banquet facilities at 14 percent and private homes at 12 percent.
Statistic 18
About 800 foodborne illness outbreaks are reported in the United States each year, causing roughly 15,000 illnesses, 800 hospitalizations and 20 deaths.
CDC, MMWR Surveillance Summaries, outbreak contributing factors from the National Outbreak Reporting System, 2014-2022 (published 2025)
Statistic 19
6,618 foodborne outbreaks were reported to NORS during 2014-2022, but 57.2% had no contributing factor reported; only 2,677 (40.5%) could be analyzed for cause.
CDC, MMWR Surveillance Summaries, outbreak contributing factors from the National Outbreak Reporting System, 2014-2022 (published 2025)
Statistic 20
Restaurants are the setting for most outbreaks: in 2017-2019, 63.2% of analyzed outbreaks involved food prepared at a restaurant and 56.9% food eaten at a restaurant (2014-2016: 57.6% / 51.6%; 2020-2022: 58.8% / 48.9%). The denominator is the 2,677 outbreaks that had contributing-factor data, not all reported outbreaks.
CDC, MMWR Surveillance Summaries, outbreak contributing factors from the National Outbreak Reporting System, 2014-2022 (published 2025)
Statistic 21
Outbreaks reported to NORS fell 64.5% from 2014-2016 to 2020-2022 (1,142 to 405 analyzed outbreaks), which CDC attributes largely to pandemic-era health-department staffing limits and restaurant closures.
CDC, MMWR Surveillance Summaries, outbreak contributing factors from the National Outbreak Reporting System, 2014-2022 (published 2025)
Statistic 22
The share of outbreaks caused by bacteria rose from 41.9% (2014-2016) to 48.4% (2020-2022) while viral outbreaks fell from 33.3% to 23.2%.
CDC, MMWR Surveillance Summaries, outbreak contributing factors from the National Outbreak Reporting System, 2014-2022 (published 2025)
Statistic 23
In 2024 CDC investigated 203 possible multistate enteric outbreaks; 62 were confirmed outbreaks causing 2,605 illnesses, 861 hospitalizations and 36 deaths, and 29 of the 45 solved outbreaks were foodborne.
CDC, summary of possible multistate enteric disease outbreak investigations in 2024, published April 2026
Statistic 24
Salmonella, STEC and Listeria together cause an estimated 1.49 million illnesses, 28,000 hospitalizations and 700 deaths a year at a cost of more than $6 billion, and CDC is coordinating 17 to 36 possible multistate outbreak investigations in any given week.
CDC, multistate enteric outbreak annual summaries program page, reviewed May 2026
What this means: Reported outbreaks are a thin and shrinking sample of foodborne illness: about 15,000 illnesses a year out of tens of millions, and reporting fell 64.5 percent between 2014-2016 and 2020-2022 for reasons that had more to do with health-department staffing than with food. Within that sample, the restaurant is where most of it is prepared.
What causes a restaurant outbreak
According to CDC's NEARS report on 875 retail establishments with outbreaks in 2017-2019 (cdc.gov), 81.4 percent were restaurants, 65.2 percent were independently owned, 71.3 percent had at least one critical violation on their last routine inspection before the outbreak, and contributing factors tied to ill workers were identified in 41.0 percent of outbreaks, with contamination by a worker suspected of being ill the single most common factor at 20.8 percent. According to the same report (cdc.gov), only 16.1 percent of those establishments had a sick-worker policy meeting all four assessed FDA Food Code components and only 43.6 percent offered paid sick leave to any worker. According to CDC's restaurant food safety program summaries of EHS-Net field studies (cdc.gov), one in five restaurant workers had worked at least one shift while sick with vomiting or diarrhea in the previous year, and workers washed their hands about one in three of the times they should have.
Statistic 25
Of 875 retail food establishments with outbreaks reported to NEARS in 2017-2019, 81.4% were restaurants, 65.2% were independently owned, and 71.3% had received at least one critical violation on their last routine inspection before the outbreak.
CDC, MMWR Surveillance Summaries, National Environmental Assessment Reporting System report on retail outbreaks, 2017-2019 (published 2023)
Statistic 26
Norovirus caused 47.0% and Salmonella 18.6% of the 2017-2019 NEARS restaurant outbreaks with a known agent; an agent was identified in only 69.4% of outbreaks.
CDC, MMWR Surveillance Summaries, National Environmental Assessment Reporting System report on retail outbreaks, 2017-2019 (published 2023)
Statistic 27
Sick or infectious food workers contributed to 41.0% of restaurant outbreaks with an identified contributing factor; the single most common factor (20.8%) was contamination by a worker suspected of being ill, and 85.2% of outbreaks had at least one contamination factor.
CDC, MMWR Surveillance Summaries, National Environmental Assessment Reporting System report on retail outbreaks, 2017-2019 (published 2023)
Statistic 28
Only 16.1% of outbreak restaurants had a sick-worker policy meeting all four FDA Food Code components, only 23.0% of policies listed all five symptoms workers must report, and fewer than half (43.6%) offered paid sick leave to any worker.
CDC, MMWR Surveillance Summaries, National Environmental Assessment Reporting System report on retail outbreaks, 2017-2019 (published 2023)
Statistic 29
Across 2,677 analyzed outbreaks (2014-2022), food contaminated before it reached the kitchen was the top contributing factor (26.0%), followed by bare-hand contact by an infectious food worker (16.5%); food left out of temperature control during preparation contributed to 13.1%.
CDC, MMWR Surveillance Summaries, outbreak contributing factors from the National Outbreak Reporting System, 2014-2022 (published 2025)
Statistic 30
For viral (mostly norovirus) outbreaks, an infectious worker's bare-hand contact with food was the top factor in 2014-2016 (47.1%) and 2017-2019 (37.7%); by 2020-2022 gloved-hand contact by an infectious worker became the top factor (42.6%).
CDC, MMWR Surveillance Summaries, outbreak contributing factors from the National Outbreak Reporting System, 2014-2022 (published 2025)
Statistic 31
For bacterial outbreaks, inadequate cooking time/temperature contributed to 20.9-23.8% of outbreaks in every period and food left out of temperature control during prep to 15.3-30.1%; improper cooling entered the top five (17.3%) only in 2020-2022.
CDC, MMWR Surveillance Summaries, outbreak contributing factors from the National Outbreak Reporting System, 2014-2022 (published 2025)
Statistic 32
One in five restaurant food workers said they had worked at least one shift while sick with vomiting or diarrhea in the previous year, and more than half could remember doing so at some point. Workers were more likely to work sick in restaurants serving more than 300 meals a day and where there was no policy to report illness and no on-call replacement.
CDC restaurant food safety program, plain-language summary of three peer-reviewed EHS-Net sick-worker studies, reviewed August 2026
Statistic 33
Restaurant workers washed their hands when they should only about one in three times: they did about nine hand-wash-worthy activities an hour but washed only 2-3 times an hour; only 1 in 4 washed after handling raw animal products or dirty equipment and only 1 in 10 after touching their face or body.
CDC restaurant food safety program, plain-language summary of four peer-reviewed EHS-Net handwashing studies, reviewed August 2026
Statistic 34
Germs spread from workers' hands to food account for nine of ten restaurant outbreaks in which a worker contaminated the food.
CDC restaurant food safety program, plain-language summary of four peer-reviewed EHS-Net handwashing studies, reviewed August 2026
Statistic 35
In 404 restaurant outbreaks investigated in 2014-2016, sick food workers contributed to more than half of outbreaks with contributing-factor data; about half of the establishments had no written policy on working while sick and about a third had none on glove use; about 1 in 10 investigations started more than two days after the outbreak was identified.
CDC restaurant food safety program, plain-language summary of the NEARS restaurant outbreak investigations of 2014-2016, reviewed August 2026
Statistic 36
Contributing factors were identified in only 3 of every 5 outbreaks (194 of 297) reported to NEARS, and were more likely to be found when investigators contacted the establishment within a day and made multiple visits.
CDC restaurant food safety program, contributing-factor data page, reviewed August 2026
Statistic 37
Restaurants that had outbreaks were less likely to have a certified kitchen manager than restaurants that did not; all certified managers knew HACCP versus 20% of other managers. FDA used this to add the certified-manager provision to the 2013 Food Code.
CDC restaurant food safety program, EHS-Net certified-manager study and research accomplishments pages, reviewed August 2026
Statistic 38
About half of retail delis did not fully clean their slicers every 4 hours and 1 in 6 delis had a refrigerator that was too warm; only about 1 in 5 retail establishments kept beef grinding records.
CDC restaurant food safety program, EHS-Net research accomplishments page, reviewed August 2026
What this means: The failure is a person, not a machine. Ill workers, hands and the food that arrived contaminated account for the top contributing factors in every period, and the policies meant to stop them are mostly absent: half of outbreak restaurants had no written rule about working while sick and fewer than half paid for sick leave.
What federal specialists see when they watch a kitchen
According to FDA's National Retail Food Team technical report on 821 restaurants its specialists observed (fda.gov), 95 percent of full-service and 78 percent of fast food restaurants were out of compliance on at least one holding or time-and-temperature item and 83 and 67 percent on poor personal hygiene; cold holding was the most common single failure at 86 and 68 percent, improper handwashing second at 82 and 66 percent; the median full-service restaurant had 5 of 10 core practices out of compliance during one visit and only 2 percent had none. According to the same report's analysis of variance (fda.gov), a documented food safety management system was the strongest predictor of compliance, cutting average out-of-compliance items from 5.84 to 2.09 in full-service restaurants.
Statistic 39
95% of full-service restaurants and 78% of fast food restaurants were out of compliance on at least one improper holding / time-and-temperature item; 83% and 67% on poor personal hygiene.
FDA National Retail Food Team, restaurant risk-factor technical report on 821 observed restaurants, 2013-2014 data (published November 2018)
Statistic 40
The single most common failure was cold holding: foods requiring refrigeration were not held at the proper temperature in 86% of full-service and 68% of fast food restaurants; improper handwashing was second (82% / 66%).
FDA National Retail Food Team, restaurant risk-factor technical report on 821 observed restaurants, 2013-2014 data (published November 2018)
Statistic 41
Full-service restaurants failed proper cooling 72% of the time, date marking 71%, cross-contamination protection 67%, and cleaning/sanitizing of food-contact surfaces 62%; bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food (34%) and raw animal foods not cooked to required temperature (21%) were the best-controlled items.
FDA National Retail Food Team, restaurant risk-factor technical report, 2013-2014, Table 9
Statistic 42
In 80% of full-service restaurants an employee was seen not washing hands at a required time, and in 61% at least one employee washed incorrectly (fast food: 57% and 45%).
FDA National Retail Food Team, restaurant risk-factor technical report on 821 observed restaurants, 2013-2014 data (published November 2018)
Statistic 43
The median full-service restaurant had 5 of the 10 core food safety practices out of compliance during a single FDA visit (fast food: 3); only 2% of full-service and 8% of fast food restaurants had zero.
FDA National Retail Food Team, restaurant risk-factor technical report, 2013-2014, Tables 10 and 11
Statistic 44
Restaurants with a well-developed, documented food safety management system averaged 2.09 practices out of compliance versus 5.84 for restaurants with none (full-service); 1.70 vs 4.48 in fast food. FSMS was the strongest predictor of compliance, explaining 48.7% of the model's explained variance in full-service restaurants.
FDA National Retail Food Team, restaurant risk-factor technical report, 2013-2014, appendix E analysis of variance
Statistic 45
Full-service restaurants with a certified food protection manager present and in charge averaged 4.73 practices out of compliance versus 5.69 with no certified manager employed (p < 0.0001); jurisdiction grading, public posting of inspection results and food-handler-card requirements made no significant difference.
FDA National Retail Food Team, restaurant risk-factor technical report, 2013-2014, Tables 18 and 19
What this means: Documentation beats training in FDA's own model: the system that writes down what was checked explains more of the difference between kitchens than certification, grading or public posting of results. Our sister page on inspection statistics covers what inspectors record; this is what happens between inspections.
Norovirus, the pathogen the food worker carries
According to CDC's norovirus surveillance pages (cdc.gov), norovirus causes 58 percent of foodborne illnesses acquired in the United States, about 2,500 reported norovirus outbreaks a year and about $2 billion a year in foodborne cost. According to CDC's 2014 MMWR Vital Signs analysis of 2009-2012 outbreaks (cdc.gov), 1,008 foodborne norovirus outbreaks made up 48 percent of foodborne outbreaks with a single known cause, restaurants were the setting in 64 percent, infected food workers were the source in 70 percent of those with a known contamination factor, and bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food was named in 54 percent of those.
Statistic 46
Norovirus causes 58% of foodborne illnesses acquired in the United States, about 2,500 reported norovirus outbreaks a year, and foodborne norovirus alone costs about $2 billion a year. That 2,500 counts norovirus outbreaks by every transmission route, mostly person-to-person, and is not a subset of the roughly 800 foodborne outbreaks reported a year.
CDC, norovirus facts and statistics page, reviewed May 2024
Statistic 47
Norovirus causes about half of all foodborne outbreaks, and infected food workers cause about 70% of food-related norovirus outbreaks.
CDC restaurant food safety program, EHS-Net research accomplishments page, reviewed August 2026
Statistic 48
In 2009-2012, 1,008 foodborne norovirus outbreaks made up 48% of all foodborne outbreaks with a single known cause; restaurants were the setting in 64%; infected food workers were the source in 70% of outbreaks with a known contamination factor, and bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food was named in 54% of those.
CDC, MMWR Vital Signs analysis of foodborne norovirus outbreaks, 2009-2012 (published 2014)
Statistic 49
Across 5,760 outbreaks in 2009-2015, norovirus caused 38% of outbreaks with a single confirmed cause and 41% of outbreak illnesses; Salmonella 30% and 35%; Listeria, Salmonella and STEC together caused 82% of hospitalizations and 82% of deaths.
CDC, MMWR Surveillance Summaries, national foodborne disease outbreak surveillance, 2009-2015 (published 2018)
Statistic 50
Restaurants were the location of food preparation in 61% of single-location outbreaks in 2009-2015 (2,880 of 4,696), ahead of catering/banquet facilities (14%) and private homes (12%); sit-down restaurants alone were 48%. Restaurant outbreaks were the smallest on average (11.6 illnesses) and institutional outbreaks the largest (46.5).
CDC, MMWR Surveillance Summaries, national foodborne disease outbreak surveillance, 2009-2015 (published 2018)
What this means: Norovirus is the pathogen that makes sick-worker policy a food safety control rather than an HR courtesy. Seven in ten food-related norovirus outbreaks trace to an infected worker, and more than half of those name bare hands touching ready-to-eat food.
What it costs
According to the USDA Economic Research Service's cost estimates data product updated December 2025 (usda.gov), foodborne illness cost the United States $74.7 billion in 2023 dollars, $1,564 per case, with nontyphoidal Salmonella the most expensive pathogen at $17.1 billion and Listeria the most expensive per case at about $2.5 million. According to a peer-reviewed simulation published in Public Health Reports by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (nih.gov), a single outbreak costs a restaurant from $3,968 for a five-person fast-food incident with no legal exposure to $2.6 million for a 250-person fine-dining incident with lawsuits and fines, which the authors put at 0.3 to 101 percent of annual profits and revenue.
Statistic 51
Foodborne illness costs the United States $74.7 billion a year (2023 dollars), $1,564 per case.
USDA Economic Research Service, cost estimates of foodborne illness data product, updated December 2025
Statistic 52
The 31 identified pathogens account for 9.4 million cases and $44.7 billion ($4,766 per case); unspecified "other foodborne gastroenteritis" accounts for 38.4 million cases but only $30.0 billion ($781 per case).
USDA Economic Research Service, cost estimates of foodborne illness data product, Table 1, updated December 2025
Statistic 53
Nontyphoidal Salmonella is the most expensive foodborne pathogen at $17.1 billion a year ($16,668 per case); Campylobacter is second at $11.3 billion ($13,405 per case).
USDA Economic Research Service, cost estimates of foodborne illness data product, Table 2, updated December 2025
Statistic 54
A Listeria case costs $2.5 million on average and the pathogen costs $4.0 billion a year from only 1,583 cases; norovirus costs $543 per case but $3.0 billion in total from 5.5 million cases.
USDA Economic Research Service, cost estimates of foodborne illness data product, Table 2, updated December 2025
Statistic 55
A single foodborne illness outbreak costs a restaurant anywhere from $3,968 (fast food, 5 people, no lawsuits) to $2.6 million (fine dining, 250 people, lawsuits and fines), in 2017 dollars. These are modeled estimates, not observed costs.
Public Health Reports, peer-reviewed simulation of what one outbreak costs a restaurant, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2018
Statistic 56
Jury verdicts in 26 foodborne illness lawsuits (2010-2014) ranged from $9,856 to $1,428,971 in 2012 dollars; the model used a median lawsuit-and-legal-fee cost of $85,690.
Public Health Reports, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health outbreak-cost model, 2018, methods
Statistic 57
Listeria outbreaks were the most expensive to a restaurant ($4,768 to $2.9 million) and Bacillus cereus the least; a Salmonella outbreak costs $63 to $21,198 more than an identical norovirus outbreak.
Public Health Reports, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health outbreak-cost model, 2018, results
What this means: The restaurant-level number is the one an operator can act on: the model's biggest cost drivers are lawsuits and legal fees, outbreak size and lost revenue, all of which scale with how many covers were served before anyone noticed.
Recalls, upstream of the kitchen
According to the openFDA food enforcement reports interface (fda.gov), FDA-regulated food recall records peaked at 2,155 in 2023, of which 1,224 were Class I, then fell to 1,409 in 2024 and 1,617 in 2025; Listeria was named in 644 of the 2023 records, 372 in 2024 and 373 in 2025, and undeclared allergens in 504, 322 and 365.
Statistic 58
FDA-regulated food recall records peaked at 2,155 in 2023 (1,224 Class I), then fell to 1,409 in 2024 (496 Class I) and 1,617 in 2025 (773 Class I). These are record counts, not distinct recalls: one enforcement record per product or lot, covering FDA-regulated foods only, as of August 19, 2026.
FDA, openFDA food enforcement reports interface, data current to August 19, 2026
Statistic 59
Listeria was cited in 644 FDA food recall records in 2023, 372 in 2024 and 373 in 2025; Salmonella in 357 (2023) and 194 (2024); undeclared allergens in 504 (2023), 322 (2024) and 365 (2025). These are record counts, not distinct recalls: one enforcement record per product or lot, covering FDA-regulated foods only, as of August 19, 2026.
FDA, openFDA food enforcement reports interface, free-text search of recall reasons, data current to August 19, 2026
What this means: Recall records are the upstream half of the contributing-factor picture: contamination that arrived before the kitchen was the top factor in 26.0 percent of analyzed outbreaks, and a recall is what that looks like when it is caught in the supply chain instead of in a dining room.
The numbers that rank for this query and could not be verified
These figures are widely repeated online. Each was traced as far as the trail went and is listed here so a writer does not re-chase it.
Unverified claim
Foodborne illness costs the United States $17.6 billion a year. The 2018-dollar Economic Research Service estimate covered 15 pathogens and the agency states its current estimates should not be compared with the previous ones. The $74.7 billion 2023-dollar figure is used instead.
Unverified claim
Foodborne illness fell from 48 million cases to 9.9 million. A false comparison between the 2011 all-cause estimate and the 2025 seven-pathogen update. Both are on this page and neither replaces the other.
Unverified claim
FDA's 2015-2019 restaurant risk-factor findings. FDA's restaurant collections are 2013-2014, 2017 and 2021; the 2017 follow-up restaurant report was not located, so the 2013-2014 baseline is what is stated here.
Unverified claim
Annual counts of meat, poultry and egg product recalls. Those are regulated by USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, not FDA. No FSIS recall counts were collected, and the recall figures here cover FDA-regulated foods only.
Unverified claim
9,788 restaurant-associated outbreaks, a median of 620 a year. Quoted secondhand by FDA from CDC surveillance and a 2016 peer-reviewed analysis; the underlying papers were not read, so the figure is not carried as a verified statistic on this page.
Unverified claim
A national count of restaurant outbreaks by contributing factor. Cannot be produced: 57.2 percent of outbreaks reported to the National Outbreak Reporting System in 2014-2022 listed no contributing factor at all.
Unverified claim
The number of 2025 food recall records citing Salmonella. The openFDA query for that year did not return, so no 2025 Salmonella recall count is stated.
Cite this study
Academic or press use: copy a ready-made reference. RapidEye is the publisher.
Quick FAQ
How many people get sick from food each year in the United States?
CDC's estimate is 47.8 million illnesses, 127,839 hospitalizations and 3,037 deaths a year, usually rounded to 48 million, 128,000 and 3,000. That estimate was published in 2011 on circa-2006 data and covers all causes. In CDC's 2025 update, six pathogens caused about 9.9 million domestically acquired illnesses in 2019, and those six plus Toxoplasma gondii caused 53,300 hospitalizations and 931 deaths, which is not a replacement for the all-cause figure and should not be compared with it.
What share of foodborne outbreaks happen in restaurants?
In CDC's 2009-2015 surveillance, restaurants were the single reported preparation location in 2,880 of 4,696 outbreaks, 61 percent, against 12 percent in private homes. In the 2014-2022 contributing-factor analysis, food prepared at a restaurant was involved in 57.6, 63.2 and 58.8 percent of analyzed outbreaks across the three periods. Restaurant outbreaks are the smallest on average, 11.6 illnesses, while institutional outbreaks average 46.5.
What causes most restaurant foodborne outbreaks?
Across all outbreaks analyzed in 2014-2022, not restaurants alone, contamination that happened before the food reached final preparation is the largest single contributing factor at 26.0 percent. Inside the kitchen, ill food workers dominate: factors involving a worker suspected of being ill were identified in 41.0 percent of restaurant and retail outbreaks in 2017-2019, with contamination by such a worker at 20.8 percent and bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food at 14.4 percent. Temperature control follows, with food left out during preparation at 13.1 percent.
How much does foodborne illness cost?
The USDA Economic Research Service puts the national cost at $74.7 billion a year in 2023 dollars, $1,564 per case. Nontyphoidal Salmonella is the most expensive pathogen in total at $17.1 billion, or $16,668 per case; Listeria is the most expensive per case at about $2.5 million. For an individual restaurant, a peer-reviewed simulation put one outbreak at $3,968 to $2.6 million depending on restaurant type, outbreak size and legal exposure.
What role does norovirus play in restaurant outbreaks?
Norovirus causes 58 percent of foodborne illnesses acquired in the United States and about half of foodborne outbreaks with a single known cause. In CDC's analysis of 1,008 foodborne norovirus outbreaks from 2009 to 2012, restaurants were the setting in 64 percent, infected food workers were the source in 70 percent of the outbreaks with a known contamination factor, and bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food was named in 54 percent of those.
Data sources
Every figure on this page traces to one of these publishers' own documents, each checked against the original before publishing. Sources are named at the publisher level and shown by root domain.
Centers for Disease Control and PreventionEmerging Infectious Diseases burden estimates (2011 all-cause and the 2025 update); MMWR Surveillance Summaries on national foodborne outbreak surveillance (2009-2015), outbreak contributing factors (2014-2022) and NEARS retail outbreaks (2017-2019); the MMWR Vital Signs analysis of foodborne norovirus outbreaks (2009-2012); FoodNet 2024 preliminary surveillance data; the EHS-Net restaurant food safety program pages on sick workers, handwashing, certified managers and contributing factors; the norovirus surveillance and food-worker pages; and the multistate enteric outbreak annual summariescdc.gov
U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationNational Retail Food Team restaurant risk-factor technical report on 821 observed restaurants (2013-2014 data), including its compliance tables and analysis of variance; and the openFDA food enforcement reports interface, queried by year, class and recall reasonfda.gov
National Library of Medicine, PubMed CentralPublic Health Reports, peer-reviewed model of the cost of one outbreak to a restaurant, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2018nih.gov