Farm-to-Fork: FoodNet Canada as an integrated sentinel site surveillance system for food safety
Cheryl Tung
Public Health Agency of Canada & Middlesex-London Health Unit
Allison Roberts
Public Health Agency of Canada
FoodNet Canada, facilitated by the Public Health Agency of Canada, is a national integrated sentinel surveillance system that works across the farm-to-fork continuum to identify primary sources of major enteric pathogens contributing to human illness among Canadians. Enhanced epidemiological and microbiological data are collected for human enteric disease cases reported through sentinel site partners in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec. In addition, active surveillance of enteric pathogens on retail food products, farm animal manure, and surface water is conducted in each site.
The analysis and interpretation of the surveillance data from these sentinel sites has a direct impact on public health practice. It helps to determine significant risk factors for enteric illness, determine what foods and other sources are making Canadians ill, accurately tracks disease rates and risks over time, provides practical prevention information to prioritize risks, compare interventions, direct actions and advance policy, and assess the effectiveness of food safety activities and public health interventions and measure performance. In partnership with our Ontario sentinel site, this presentation will describe how FoodNet Canada’s integrated surveillance activities across the farm-to-fork continuum contributed to the overall understanding of the burden of illness related to Salmonella and frozen raw breaded chicken products (FRBCP). The impact of COVID-19 on these trends will also be highlighted. The knowledge gained can serve to inform public health efforts, policy development and future research directions.
