Do you know your family plans for Thanksgiving? Who is hosting and is the menu is set? It is that time of year when families are making plans for the holiday season. Have you included how you will handle the turkey and other holiday foods safely in your plans? Food borne illness (food poisoning) would certainly be an unwanted guest at any holiday celebration, yet it can easily happen. There are an estimated 76 million cases of food borne illness annually in the U.S. causing around 9,000 deaths. Ohio’s share is estimated to be between 132,000 and 490,000 cases with 165 resulting in death. In addition to human suffering, the dollar and cents cost of food borne illness is high. USDA estimates that nationally, medical costs and lost productivity and wages amount to between $6.5 and $13.3 billion annually. Ohio’s share of that price tag would be $260 to $532 million. This is a high price tag for illness that can largely be prevented.