Ten years of Foodbook: Utilization of Foodbook survey data for research

Enteric illnesses are a preventable cause of morbidity and healthcare utilization in Canada. To support public health and epidemiological activities, Foodbook was launched in 2014 by the Public Health Agency of Canada to collect representative information on food, water, and animal exposures, food safety knowledge, burden of gastrointestinal illnesses, and sociodemographic information. The aim of this overview was to identify how this valuable data source has been used in the past decade since its launch.

Peer-reviewed and grey literature were identified by applying the search term "Foodbook" to two academic databases and two grey literature sources, respectively. Citations were screened against eligibility criteria. Study information, including study characteristics, module of Foodbook data used, and how Foodbook data was used was extracted and synthesized in tabular format.

A total of 27 articles were identified in the published literature that utilized Foodbook survey data in their analyses. The most common use was for outbreak investigations. In addition, Foodbook has been used to describe food, water, and animal exposures, determine food safety knowledge and practices of Canadians, estimate the burden of acute gastrointestinal illness, and evaluate data collection methods for foodborne illnesses.

By summarizing its use, the authors aim to encourage broader use of this publicly available data source to inform health protection and promotion activities to reduce the burden of enteric illnesses in Canada.