About how many Americans get sick due to foodborne disease each year?

• A. 1 in 4
• B. 1 in 10
• C. 1 in 6
• D. 1 in 20

Answer: (C)

Estimating how many people get sick from foodborne disease each year uses population-wide data and modeling to capture illnesses that aren’t always reported. The best-supported figure is about 48 million Americans annually, which is roughly 15% of the population and commonly described as about one in six. This broad estimate includes many mild cases that never seek care, so it reflects the overall burden rather than a precise headcount. Illnesses come from a mix of pathogens, with norovirus as a major contributor alongside Salmonella, Campylobacter, and others. Because reporting is incomplete and methods vary, describing the burden as about one in six is a widely used approximation. The other options would imply substantially fewer or more illnesses than what public health data support.