Denver-based fast-food chain Chipotle Mexican Grill began reopening 43 restaurantsin Oregon and Washington state today that were closed last weekafter an E. coli outbreak left about 45 people ill.

While the source of the outbreak has not been determined, manyin the restaurant and food industry are wondering if they areprepared for a similar incident.

“The concern for food safety continues to grow as our globaleconomy creates demand for more food to be shippedinternationally,” said Ian Harrison, a partner at Kansas City,Mo.-based insurance brokerage giantLockton Cos. “Contaminated food can have a devastating effecton food processors, restaurants, and their customers.”

About 48 million cases of foodborne disease occur in the U.S.each year, sending about 105,000 people to the hospital andresulting in 2,000 deaths, the Associated Press reported, citingfigures from the Atlanta-based Centers for DiseaseControl. That's about one in seven people in the countrygetting sick from food every year.

Foodborne illnesses are primarily caused by one of fivepathogens:

• Salmonella
• Campylobacter
• Listeria monocytogenes
• Toxoplasma gondii
• Norovirus

Related: Applebee'sis in the E. coli cross hairs ... again

A microbiologist points out an isolated E. coli growth on anagar plate from a patient specimen at the Washington StateDepartment of Health Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015, in Shoreline, Wash.(Photo: Elaine Thompson/AP Photo)

Economic impact

Some studies have estimated the economic cost of these illnessesat $14 billion dollars a year. Not only do restaurants lose moneyfrom temporarily closing locations and returning their customers tohealth, if they are part of a larger chain, damage can be incurredto the trade name.

“The owners of the trade names place a large effort intotraining and auditing their corporate locations and thosefranchisees using the logo to ensure a consistent product,”Harrison said, “But mistakes happen, and when they occur, the wholechain is adversely affected.”

Harrison has just published a white paper, “Serving Up Safeguards Against FoodborneIllness.” In it, he describes what underwriters are offering aspart of a comprehensive income protection insurance policy as wellas incident response and loss mitigation services.

Chipotle has announced several new efforts to improve foodsafety, including testing fresh produce, raw meat and dairy itemsbefore they arrive in restaurants, the Associated Pressreported.

"We have also retained two of the nation's best food-safetyscientists to work with us to assess practices and find additionalareas for improvement," Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold said. "Weare leaving no stone unturned in terms of finding ways to improveupon our practices."

Related: Tips to minimize food poisoningrisks