Signal Foodborne illness cost businesses 157.5 million and the NHS 60.5 million pounds

Summary

The report identifies the strain on businesses and the health system as a vulnerability linked to foodborne disease. Illness and staff absence disrupt business operations and force resources to be reallocated, costing businesses an estimated 157.5 million pounds in 2018. The NHS, as the UK's main healthcare provider, also bore an estimated annual resource cost of about 60.5 million pounds from foodborne disease cases as of 2018. These costs cover GP visits and hospital patient care. The report explains that the total cost of foodborne disease to UK society in 2018 was about 9.1 billion pounds, a fifth of which was financial, such as lost earnings, medical costs, school absences and sick leave.