Food safety doesn’t provoke the same level of public outcry as gun violence and drug addiction, but it is nonetheless a deadly serious epidemic. Food-borne illness affects an estimated 48 million Americans each year, resulting in 3,000 deaths and the hospitalization of 128,000 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Beyond that, food-borne illness in the U.S. is enormously costly, with an estimated collective annual bill of $55 billion in medical treatment, lost productivity, and lost wages, not to mention litigation expenses.