In order to improve the health status and quality of life of the population on the island of Ireland, safefood's public health programme will focus on the prevention of foodborne disease and the promotion of a healthy diet.

To create a coherent, effective and dynamic all-island food safety system, a comprehensive and integrated approach to foodborne disease is required. 

Surveillance of foodborne diseases is one of safefood's functions.  It has a general responsibility to promote cross-border co-operation in the microbiological surveillance of foodborne diseases. 

safefood, in collaboration with other agencies, identifies priorities for the development of surveillance and will establish a forum for the exchange of information. 

As part of this function, safefood will access, analyse and publish surveillance data held by agencies in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.  Promoting harmonisation in the development of surveillance systems, including IT solutions, will form part of this work.

For more safefood Surveillance work, see our publications section

For more information, check out the following websites

National Disease Surveillance Centre

Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre Northern Ireland