Food and Health

Foodborne pathogens cause 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths annually, and may contribute to long-term disease in more than 1 million Americans, according to estimates by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Furthermore, the total economic impact of foodborne illness across the nation is estimated to be $152 billion annually.

Today, more than 23 million children and adolescents in the United States — nearly one in three young people — are either obese or overweight. This increasing public health risk is caused, in part, by the poor nutritional quality of food served in schools across the nation.

The Pew Health Group addresses a variety of threats to the nation’s food supply and to the healthfulness of what kids are eating at school. Our experts advocate for policies that will prevent contamination of domestically produced and imported food, improve surveillance systems that alert consumers to outbreaks of foodborne illness and improve the quality and safety of food sold and served in U.S. schools.

  • Food Safety

    Pew seeks to reduce health threats from food-borne pathogens by strengthening federal government authority and enforcement of food safety laws.
  • Produce Safety

    The Produce Safety Project supports mandatory and enforceable safety standards for domestic and imported fresh produce, from farm to fork.
  • School Food

    Safe and nutritious school food is critical to improving children’s health and reducing rates of childhood obesity, chronic diseases and foodborne illness. The Kids’ Safe and Healthful Foods Campaign advocates for stronger safety standards and necessary resources to ensure every school across the nation is serving its students food that is good for them.

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