Newly launched Food Safety Community of Practice

Food safety is an expansive field that covers the processes and practices to ensure the safety of food during growing, harvesting, storing, transporting, handling, preparing, and serving to prevent contamination and foodborne illnesses. Hazards in food that can cause illness or injury in humans include microbiological, chemical, and physical. It is estimated that about 4 million Canadians are affected by foodborne illnesses due to known and unknown causes annually. Over 30 different types of foodborne pathogens can cause foodborne illnesses. New foods and emerging food trends continuously challenge our current knowledge on safe food handling and processing. Undeclared allergens such as eggs, nuts, dairy, wheat, and soy in food products also pose a threat to consumers, especially those with life-threatening allergies.

Environmental health officers/public health inspectors and other food safety specialists are tasked with the important role of keeping Canadians safe from improperly processed or prepared foods; however, until now, food safety practitioners have lacked access to a user-friendly and easily accessible national platform for interdisciplinary collaboration and exchange of information, expertise, and experiences across Canada.

To facilitate pan-Canadian networking, learning, and knowledge exchange, the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health hosts an online, participant-driven, Food Safety Community of Practice to facilitate knowledge sharing and discussions among environmental public health professionals, industry and academic experts, and policymakers across Canada.

What are the objectives of this platform?

The objectives of this platform include:

• Promoting collaboration among stakeholders across Canada;
• Facilitating networking and shared learning to reduce duplication of effort in projects and initiatives;
• Fostering resource sharing and cross-sector learning opportunities.

Who can join this platform?

The target audience for this forum is broad reaching and includes the following sectors and stakeholders:

• Public health professionals (including EHOs, policy analysts, community health specialists, dietitians, MOHs)
• Health organizations
• Federal, provincial, and local governments (policy, knowledge translators/brokers)
• Academic institutions
• Private sector, including manufacturers and consultants

Help us make it better

Help us make this community of practice work better for you! Let us know your suggestions, thoughts, or ideas on how to improve our projects and efforts.

Join the NCCEH Food Safety Community of Practice and start connecting with other like-minded colleagues across Canada!