Our Publications -
Global Food System Transition
Surveillance of food systems
Coordinating the governance of food and nutrition surveillance systems in Canada: A mixed methods network analysis
Oral presentation at International Society of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA) Conference, 2026
Food and nutrition surveillance data has conventionally used population-level evidence of key indicators to inform policy (e.g., fruit and vegetable consumption). However, complex pressures of the food system are driving the need to move beyond current indicators toward surveillance systems that are highly coordinated across sectors to monitor the complex context of food systems. To support coordinated governance of surveillance, there is a need to understand who is engaged in surveillance activities, how surveillance actors are connected, and potential facilitators and barriers for collective action.
Presenter: Kirsten Lee
Strengthening food security policy and practice: can systems approaches improve surveillance data?
Report submitted to British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, 2026
Through a collaborative partnership with the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), this project explored the practical application of systems thinking to governance systems of data and evidence that inform food security policy and practice. BCCDC aims to lead and facilitate collaboration for policy and practice across government, health authorities and non-government sectors to support food security programs, influence changes in policy and practice, and uphold Indigenous food sovereignty.
Read the report here.
Lead author: Kirsten Lee – Corresponding author: Tarra Penney
Strengthening food security policy and practice: can systems approaches improve monitoring?
Evidence brief submitted to SSHRC, 2026
Food security is a complex policy and practice priority in Canada. To inform policy and practice, indicators such as household food insecurity are used to monitor population-level trends of food insecurity. However, these indicators do not fully capture the root social (e.g., housing, education) and structural (e.g., globalization) causes of food insecurity, which limits decision-making for policy and practice. This evidence brief discusses the need for coordinated and collective action across sectors for improving monitoring systems.
Read the evidence brief here.
Lead author: Kirsten Lee
Strengthening food security policy and practice: can systems approaches improve surveillance data?
Invited presentation at British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, 2025
Hosted by York University & BCCDC Food Security and Social Determinants of Health Equity Programs, this dialogue shares case studies of how systems thinking can be applied to the governance of public health surveillance systems. Organizational partners in attendance share perspectives on monitoring food security in BC and the potential relevance and feasibility of applying these methods to food security surveillance.
Presenter: Kirsten Lee
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
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
Corruption and exploitation in the global food system: a focus on forgotten harms
Poster presentation at International Society of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA) Conference, 2026
Global food systems are failing to provide nutritious food for all and are associated with complex challenges such as poverty, non-communicable disease, and environmental degradation. Current calls for transformations around health, sustainability and equity do not yet emphasize key dynamics in global food systems including corruption or exploitation. To provide a comprehensive assessment of the forms and impacts of corruption and exploitation (C&E), this work conducts two scoping reviews to assess existing empirical literature and make recommendations to improve governance and policy.
Presenter: Tyler Lynch
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