FoodNet
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What is FoodNet?
In 1999, Tennessee joined eight other states in a collaborative effort with the Center's for Disease Control and Prevention to better understand the burden of foodborne illness in the United States. This program is called Foodbourne Diseases Active Surveillance Network or, more commonly referred to as "FoodNet." At the present time, there are a total of 10 states participating in the Foodnet program.
Passive vs. Active Surveillance
Under the present "passive" surveillance system, clinicians, laboratories and hospitals report notifiable diseases by telephone or in writing to their local health departments. Through FoodNet's "active" surveillance system, all microbiology laboratories are visited regularly by health department staff to ensure that new cases of foodborne disease are reported to the state and to the CDC.