Study: Expensive Foodborne Outbreaks Could Be Prevented If Sick Employees Are Given Adequate Sick Time
A new study conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Global Obesity Prevention Center shows that a foodborne illness outbreak can cost a restaurant up to $2.6 million.
The study involved a computer simulation that mimicked various types of foodborne illness in different settings—fast food, fast casual, casual dining and fine dining. The simulation was aided by industry data, along with a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) list of foodborne pathogens—including botulism, Escherichia coli, Hepatitis A, norovirus, and Salmonella—that actually affected restaurants between 2010 and 2015.