How to avoid the $5.9M cost of a food poisoning in Michigan
A food safety inspection at a grocery store in Michigan has revealed a whopping $5,934,972 cost to the taxpayer for the investigation and response to the case.
Agency investigators uncovered that the $4.7 million in costs were due to a $3.7 billion food poisoning outbreak, which has left 1,700 people with severe reactions to food that has been tainted with the deadly coronavirus.
The health department and state investigators, including two state epidemiologists, spent a month working to determine exactly how much the contaminated food was worth, as well as what happened to those who were able to escape the outbreak.
Officials with the state Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, and Michigan Department of Health say they’ve identified a total of $3,865,857 in taxpayer costs related to the food poisoning.
They say the investigation showed that a food safety company received $3 million for the inspection.
The company was paid $5 million by the state, which paid $1.8 million for its own investigation.
They also said that the inspection cost them $3 percent.
The total cost of the food safety audit, including all related costs and costs to the state for its investigation and subsequent response, is $3 billion.