Our Publications -
Global Food System Transition
Surveillance of food systems
Gap analysis of Food Security Framework and Indicators: Recommendations report
Report submitted to British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, 2024
Food security indicators are used to monitor variations and trends across the province using national, provincial, regional, and local data. This project consists of: (1) a gap analysis of the Food Security Framework and food security indicators; (2) deep dives of the literature to explore new or revised potential indicator categories and areas; and (3) a rapid literature review of systems approaches and novel data sources used in public health surveillance broadly. Given the complex nature of food security, there is an opportunity to explore the potential role and use of systems methods in surveillance, including a wide range of data sources, and how it can inform the interpretation of indicators in relation to each other.
Lead author: Kirsten Lee – Corresponding author: Tarra Penney
British Columbia Centre for Disease Control Food Security Indicators: Protocol for gap analysis
Report submitted to British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, 2024
Food security is an important determinant for the health and wellbeing of populations of British Columbians. This protocol describes the approach for a gap analysis of the Food Security Framework and food security indicators and a rapid literature review of systems approaches and novel data sources used in public health surveillance broadly.
Lead author: Kirsten Lee – Corresponding author: Tarra Penney
Toward a national-level surveillance framework for monitoring food and nutrition in Canada: Improving monitoring of food environments and food systems
Report submitted to Public Health Agency of Canada, 2024
Food and nutrition surveillance is a federal government priority in Canada, however, there is a critical need to advance current approaches by identifying indicators to monitor food environments and food systems. Food environments are key intervention points to support healthy eating, while food system activities influence the nutritional quality of the food supply. The objective of this project is to inform an update of a conceptual surveillance framework by identifying indicators for monitoring determinants of food environments and food systems.
Lead and corresponding author: Kirsten Lee
Food Security Framework and Indicators: Recommendations report
Invited presentation to British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, 2024
Food security indicators are used to monitor variations and trends across the province using national, provincial, regional, and local data. This presentation provides an overview of the approach and findings of a gap analysis of the Food Security Framework and food security indicators and a rapid literature review of systems approaches and novel data sources used in public health surveillance broadly. Discussions were focused on opportunities for multi-sectoral collaboration and collective action toward food security surveillance in British Columbia.
Presenter: Kirsten Lee
Updating the Food and Nutrition Surveillance System Framework
Invited presentation to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2024
Food and nutrition surveillance is a federal government priority in Canada, however, there is a critical need to advance current approaches by identifying indicators to monitor food environments and food systems. This presentation provides an overview of the approach taken to update a national-level surveillance to monitor food and nutrition surveillance in Canada. Findings and discussions were focused on agricultural indicators that can be used to better monitor food system impacts, as well as discussed opportunities for cross-sectoral collaboration between health and agriculture sectors.
Presenter: Kirsten Lee
Toward a national-level framework for food and nutrition surveillance in Canada: An umbrella review and environmental scan of indicators to monitor food environments and food systems
Poster presentation at International Society of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity, 2023
Food and nutrition surveillance is a federal government priority in Canada, however, there is a critical need to advance current approaches by identifying indicators to monitor food environments and food systems. The objective of this project is to inform an update of a conceptual surveillance framework by identifying indicators for monitoring determinants of food environments and food systems. An umbrella review (scoping review of reviews) was conducted to determine the scope of available food and nutrition indicators. The findings of this review will inform the development of a conceptual surveillance framework to provide timely, reliable, and relevant evidence for policy and program development on chronic disease prevention and health promotion in Canada.
Presenter: Kirsten Lee
Advancing surveillance of eating behaviours, food environments, and food systems in Canada
Series of three invited presentation to the Food and Nutrition Surveillance System Working Group, Health Canada, 2022-2023
This series of presentations provided an overview of the approach and findings to update the Food and Nutrition Surveillance indicator framework. The first presentation focused on outlining the approach to the project, presenting the methods for an umbrella review and consultation survey to prioritize indicator areas. The second presentation shared early findings of the umbrella review and integrated feedback from the working group to guide development of the consultation survey. The final presentation presented a summary of findings and recommendations for the updated framework. Recommendations focused on multi-sectoral perspectives to better monitor food and nutrition impacts on health, environmental sustainability, and equity.
Presenter: Kirsten Lee
Advancing food and nutrition surveillance in Canada
Invited presentation to the Centre for Surveillance and Applied Research, Public Health Agency of Canada, 2022
Food and nutrition surveillance is a federal government priority in Canada, however, there is a critical need to advance current approaches by identifying indicators to monitor food environments and food systems. This project provided an overview of the approach to update a surveillance framework of indicators to monitor food and nutrition in Canada. Discussions focused on strategies to engage government departments in the project.
Presenter: Kirsten Lee
Corruption, Exploitation, and Global Food Supply Alignment
The role of corruption in global food systems: a systematic scoping review
Globalization and Health, 2024
The study investigates corruption in the global food system, a critical but understudied threat to food security, safety, and social equity. Five main types of corruption—bureaucratic, fraud, bribery, organized crime, and corporate political activity—were identified, affecting various aspects of the food system and harming governance, food security, and social equity. Effective solutions require strong governance, technological tools for corruption detection, and collaborative organizational strategies.
Read the full paper.
Lead author: Anastassia Demeshko – Corresponding author: Tarra Penney
The role of corruption in global food systems and the food system transition: protocol and preliminary results from a systematic scoping review.
Oral presentation at the Global Food Governance Conference, 2021
The study investigates corruption in the global food system,. Five main types of corruption—bureaucratic, fraud, bribery, organized crime, and corporate political activity—were identified, affecting various aspects of the food system and harming governance, food security, and social equity. Effective solutions require strong governance, technological tools for corruption detection, and collaborative organizational strategies.
Presenter: Anastassia Demeshko
How supportive is the global food supply of food-based dietary guidelines? A descriptive time series analysis of food supply alignment from 1961 to 2013
SSM Population health, 2021
FAO/WHO have encouraged national governments to create food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) to support healthy diets. However, little is known about the extent to which food supply composition aligns with FBDGs, thereby structurally supporting or undermining population-level adherence. It is also unclear how this alignment has evolved over time. The aim of this study was to determine to what extent the global food supply aligns with FBDGs, and to examine historical trends.
Read the full paper.
Lead author: Chloe Clifford Astbury – Corresponding Author: Tarra Penney
Colonial Dynamics and Contemporary Food Systems
publications coming soon