Purpose: The primary objective of Foodbook is to establish a database describing Canadians’ exposure to foods and other exposures over a seven-day period that may serve as vehicles of enteric illness to inform timely and effective outbreak response. Foodbook will also support risk assessments to help target public health interventions to prevent illness, and inform food safety education initiatives and health promotion efforts linked to obesity and determinants of health.
Methods: A population-based telephone survey was administered using landline and cell phone sampling frames to randomly interview 10,942 Canadians across all provinces and territories over a one-year period. The sample was distributed evenly over time and four age groups (0-9, 10-19, 20-64, 65+). Foodbook collected data on exposures in the 7 days prior to interview (including food, animal contact, drinking and recreational water) and information on consumer food safety knowledge and practices, acute gastrointestinal illness, obesity indicators and demographic factors.
Results: Results will replace outdated and geographically disparate exposure information, and provide a more representative comparison group for Canadian outbreaks. Data on food, water and animal exposures were analyzed and compiled into the Foodbook Report, released in December 2015.
Significance: Foodbook will enhance the Canadian response to foodborne illness outbreaks, support risk assessments and public health interventions, and provide critical data to inform additional Canada-wide, cross-disciplinary efforts to prevent and control disease.