Study Suggests Every $1 Spent on U.S. WGS Foodborne Pathogen Surveillance Generates $31 ROI
A new study estimated that every $1 invested in whole genome sequencing (WGS) analysis for three important foodborne pathogens, conducted through U.S. GenomeTrakr laboratories, may save approximately $31 in avoided health-related costs.
The findings reinforce previous research, including studies in Australia and Canada, demonstrating the economic and public health benefits of WGS for national foodborne pathogen surveillance.
Published in the Journal of Food Protection and led by researchers from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the present study evaluated the costs and economic benefits of WGS surveillance for Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes, and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC). The researchers analyzed cost and sequencing volume data from 23 GenomeTrakr laboratories, including five FDA labs and 18 FDA-supported state or academic partner labs, for the 12-month period of July 2024–July 2025. To estimate the overall return on investment (ROI) for domestic GenomeTrakr surveillance, the researchers applied the weighted average cost per sample from participating laboratories to sequencing conducted by 36 domestic GenomeTrakr laboratories during the same period.
Key Findings
Across the 23 laboratories that provided cost data, the weighted average cost of WGS was $286 per sample, ranging from $88–$1,041. Higher sequencing volumes were strongly associated with lower per-sample costs, suggesting economies of scale for higher-throughput laboratories.
Using a break-even framework from a previously published study on the economic benefit of WGS surveillance on foodborne illness reduction, the researchers estimated that surveillance conducted across the 36 laboratories averted 870 illnesses and $53.7 million in health-related costs. This included an estimated 579 Salmonella illnesses and $9.7 million in costs, 17 Listeria illnesses and $42.1 million in costs, and 274 STEC illnesses and $2 million in costs.
Against an estimated $1.75 million in annual WGS surveillance costs, the overall benefit-to-cost ratio was approximately 31:1. Returns varied substantially by laboratory, ranging from $2.20–$123.35 in avoided health costs per dollar invested. Listeria surveillance produced the greatest pathogen-specific benefit-to-cost ratio, at approximately $101.52 per dollar spent, compared with $12.18 for Salmonella and $3.66 for STEC.
The researchers also developed a publicly available WGS Cost-Benefit Calculator that allows laboratories to enter their sequencing volume and costs to estimate illnesses averted, avoided health-related costs, and benefit-to-cost ratios for the three pathogens.
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Limitations and Conclusions
The authors acknowledged several limitations. Estimates of illnesses averted relied on previously published models that assume a stable relationship between sequencing volume and disease reduction, and the analysis did not include centralized scientific and information technology infrastructure costs. Additionally, the study covered only three pathogens and excluded clinical isolates. The researchers therefore said the ROI estimates should primarily be interpreted from the perspective of participating laboratories rather than the entire public health system.
Overall, the researchers concluded that WGS-based genomic surveillance represented a cost-effective public health investment and that standardized economic tools could help laboratories demonstrate the value of surveillance activities and guide future investments in food safety infrastructure.
