Canadian Food Safety Information Network (CFSIN)
The Canadian Food Safety Information Network (CFSIN) is a federal initiative that will better anticipate, detect and respond to food safety events and emergencies, by connecting and coordinating federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) food safety and public health authorities.
CFSIN is led by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and delivered in collaboration with
- The Public Health Agency of Canada
- Health Canada
- Provincial and territorial partners
The vision and objectives of CFSIN were formed following a 2008 outbreak of listeriosis that tragically claimed the lives of 22 Canadians. Following the outbreak, the Government of Canada appointed an independent investigator, who recommended the establishment of an integrated FPT network to better respond to future food safety emergencies.
This network will create a shared food safety data repository, analytical tools to identify emerging issues, and provide a platform for partners to share information and resources securely and quickly during food safety incidents and emergencies.
These tools will strengthen the ability of food safety authorities to work together for a better protected food supply across Canada.
Strengthening Canada's response to food safety issues
2020-11-27 | News release
Video
Learn about how the CFSIN will mean a better protected food supply across Canada.
Canadian Food Safety Information Network – More Sharing, More Safety - Transcript
Food inspectors inspect a number of food processing facilities and pieces of equipment.
A man and a woman in lab coats are measuring and moving food samples into bags.
A Canadian Food Inspection Agency liveried car rounds a corner.
Each year, Canada's food safety system detects and prevents foodborne hazards and contaminants from reaching Canadians – testament to the hard work of inspectors, scientists, lab technicians and other food safety personnel across the country.
An image appears on screen of the Canadian flag, and flags of Canadian provinces and territories blowing in the wind.
Today, the collective leadership of federal, provincial and territorial authorities is taking food safety to a whole new level by connecting partners – food safety authorities and food testing labs across Canada – in what they call the Canadian Food Safety Information Network or CFSIN.
Scenes of a variety of landscapes from across Canada appear on screen; a shot of the Vancouver waterfront, a field of yellow canola plants, the historic center of Quebec City and some cliffs and coastline.
An image of a sign of a Public Health Agency of Canada facility appears on screen.
A large group of people are sat in a boardroom talking, a man is presenting in front of a screen.
Moving text appears on screen saying "More Sharing, More Safety"
A map of Canada appears on screen, with text underneath stating "Canadian Food Safety Information Network" yellow dots appear on screen mapping out locations of laboratories and food safety authorities. Dotted blue lines appear linking the yellow dots, at which point they all turn green.
Canada's food safety system is robust and always improving. But incidents do occur – what's really needed to make the system more efficient is a common informatics system that lets partners collaborate and share information in near real-time.
With the CFSIN, Canada's food safety authorities and labs will now be able to share information and gain big-picture insights into incidents, trends and patterns from coast to coast to coast.
Star shaped red dots appear on various points on the map, representing food-borne illness outbreaks. They then move off of the map with green ticks appearing over them.
The CFSIN will make it easier for authorities to identify potential issues and connect with the relevant experts; decide how to respond and who to involve when an incident is confirmed; and launch coordinated action while tracking progress and updating partners across the network.
A scientist operates an immunology machine.
Scientists in lab coats stand in a room talking.
Two food inspectors walk and talk through a food processing facility.
A group of people are sat in a room talking.
Text appears on screen "CFSIN Partners: A Story of Collaboration".
By enhancing the ability to share information, data and expertise, CFSIN is enabling partners to better anticipate, detect, and respond to food safety incidents and other events.
A list of organizations appears on screen, including:
- British Columbia Centre for Disease Control
- British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture
- Alberta Health Services
- Alberta Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
- Alberta Ministry of Health
- Saskatchewan Ministry of Health
- Manitoba Agriculture
- Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food & Rural Affairs
- Quebec Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
- National Public Health Institute of Quebec
- Government of New Brunswick, Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries
- Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture
- Government of Nunavut, Department of Health
- Health Canada
- Public Health Agency of Canada
Speaker: Denise MacGillivray, Director, Bureau of Microbial Hazards, Food Directorate, Health Canada. A woman speaks in English addressing an interviewer while looking slightly off camera.
I see it as an easier way to share information between each other, for instance during an outbreak, and a way for all of us to collectively work together and pool our collective resources to make sure that information is available for all of us to ensure safety of Canadians.
A man and a woman walk across a sunlit field carrying boxes of produce.
A graphic of planet earth rotates.
A room full of people look on attentively as various people present or discuss things in a boardroom.
Various scenes of road and sea freight being transported.
Canada's food safety system is already recognized as one of the best in the world. Making it even better through their collective leadership and collaboration, food safety authorities will inspire greater confidence not only among Canadians but also Canada's trading partners, which will promote international trade.
Speaker: Pascal Daigle, Director, Laboratory of Food Analysis Expertise, Quebec Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. A man looks slightly off-camera to an interviewer while speaking in French.
Collaborating on this network has fostered a climate of confidence, which encourages exchange among participants, allowing us to see the scope of what can be done in food safety across the country if we combine our efforts.
A map of Canada appears on screen, with a number of yellow points appearing, dotted lines gradually connect the yellow dots, turning them green as they do so.
A graphic of blue icons representing people appears on screen, blue lines connect them with smaller lines bouncing back and forth between the groups of connected people.
The ability to share and access information and expertise across Canada means food safety authorities can better detect and respond to issues before they become health risks.
More sharing. More safety. That's the ultimate promise of the CFSIN.
Contact the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for more information about the CFSIN.
Text appears on screen: inspection.gc.ca/CFSIN
Pan-Canadian capabilities
The CFSIN will create an enhanced network of food safety authorities and food testing laboratories across Canada. It will mean that food safety partners can use digital tools to respond in a more coordinated way across provincial and territorial borders, to predict and respond to food-borne illness incidents.
It will also allow the sharing of data, expertise, analysis, scientific techniques and rapid alerts and communication through the following functions:
- Laboratory mapping – Online geographical mapping of partner laboratories to identify their capacity and capabilities
- Scanning and Intelligence – Tools to identify and analyze local or global food safety issues, track new scientific findings, and perform innovative capture of food safety concerns found on social media, or other open sources
- Collaboration – A secure online environment for network partners to collaborate and communicate through news postings, shared scientific research, data, and working groups
- Food safety event management – Tools to manage food-borne illness outbreaks across provinces and jurisdictions
- Early warning – Predictive analytics of food safety data from all partners to better predict food safety issues before they happen
- Alerting – Automated or manually triggered food safety alerts and warnings distributed to partners
Benefits for Canadians
CFSIN will mean that food safety partners across Canada can work together for a better protected food supply.
With greater sharing and analysis of data, CFSIN will improve the identification of food safety issues. When issues do arise, rapid alerts and early warnings will mean CFSIN partners can take quick and coordinated action to help reduce the impact of outbreaks.
A shared laboratory network will also mean that the essential testing to help identify, trace and resolve food-borne illness can be better coordinated than ever before.
Adoption of this Pan-Canadian approach to food safety also has benefits for the economy. By building greater trust, engagement and evidence with trading partners, CFSIN can help increase access for Canadian food products around the world.
Who can I contact for more information about the The Canadian Food Safety Information Network?
Do you have any questions about CFSIN? You can request further information by contacting us at:
cfsin-risac@inspection.gc.ca
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