November 15, 2013
For immediate release
Fact Sheet: FoodNet Canada
CALGARY, ALBERTA - Today, from a local Co-Op grocery store, the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Federal Minister of Health, announced the Healthy and Safe Food for Canadians Framework and expansion of FoodNet Canada.
"Knowing that food is healthy and safe to eat is fundamentally important to all Canadians and their families, when they buy, prepare, and eat food," said Minister Ambrose. "That is why we are announcing an expansion of the food safety surveillance system and releasing the Healthy and Safe Food for Canadians Framework."
The Framework describes how the Government is working to inform consumers about healthy and safe food choices, to minimize food safety risks, and to protect Canadians when unsafe foods enter the marketplace.
"Healthy, safe and accessible food is vitally important to Canadians," said Pat Vanderkooy, Registered Dietitian with Dietitians of Canada. "Protecting the health of Canadians requires the Government's commitment to regulating what's allowed in our food, how it's labelled, as well as monitoring and reporting on the safety of the food supply."
Under this new Framework, Minister Ambrose along with the Honourable Dave Rodney, Assistant Minister of Wellness for Alberta, announced the expansion of FoodNet Canada to include a new surveillance site in Calgary and Central Alberta.
"Alberta is very pleased to host this new site in Canada that will improve our food safety surveillance systems and help prevent illnesses, improving the overall wellness of Canadians," said Minister Rodney.
FoodNet Canada is made up of three surveillance sites located across the country. In addition to the new site in Alberta, there is one in the Region of Waterloo, Ontario and the Fraser Region in British Columbia. They each collect detailed information about food-borne illness, commonly known as food-poisoning, in Canadians and trace those illnesses back to their sources, such as food, water and animals.
This information identifies sources that are causing the most illness among Canadians and helps to track illnesses and their causes over time. This assists federal and provincial governments, industry and other food safety partners to take the right prevention measures to help keep Canadians' food safe and prevent illnesses.
For additional information on how the Government is providing information for Canadians on healthy and safe food or for a copy of the Framework, please visit the Healthy Canadians website.
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