In the United States, foodborne illness accounts for a substantial amount of sicknesses, hospitalizations and deaths recorded annually. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 3,000 deaths and 128,000 hospitalizations from foodborne pathogens each year in the U.S. alone.
Despite occurring with relative frequency, these incidents are largely avoidable. To address this public health problem, food safety laws are becoming increasingly stringent and more heavily enforced. Complying with these federal regulations is the ideal standard and should be common practice as it not only establishes trust with consumers, it also reduces the likelihood of a company becoming the subject of the next recall headline.