This figure does not include mass media methods which reach millions. Food safety education is provided for home preparers as well as those who prepare and serve food for the public including occasional quantity cooks who prepare food for community events and institutional foodservice workers. These are only dollar figures and do not take into account the emotional and family disruption caused by such illnesses.
Monetary figures represent lost days from work as well as medical costs of treatment.
As Americans continue to eat more meals prepared away from home, the number of people contracting foodborne illness may continue to increase if adequate foodservice industry education is not available. In 1998 the Food Protection Management Program of TAEX had a total of 528 participants completing the 16-hour foodservice manager certification training. If estimated that each foodservice manager then trained 10 foodservice employees at their establishments, then over 5,280 foodservice employees received some safe food handling training. These trainings took place in 123 counties. If these 500,000 workers were reached with food safety education, the cost of a foodborne illness outbreak would seem to indicate the relative value of training, such as is accomplished with the TAEX Food Protection Management Program.