Interconnected food items with glowing data streams and a magnifying glass hovering over a plate of food, symbolizing food safety monitoring.

Is Your Food Safe? How to Stay Informed About Emerging Food Hazards

Mira Elwood in Health & Wellness July 2025 • 4 min read.

"A Deep Dive into MedISys and the Future of Food Safety Monitoring"

In today's globalized world, the journey of our food from farm to table is more intricate than ever before. While this interconnectedness offers a variety of choices, it also presents potential risks to our health. Foodborne illnesses and contamination scares are a growing concern, making it essential to stay informed and vigilant about what we consume. How can we ensure that the food we eat is safe?

Fortunately, advancements in technology and collaborative efforts between organizations are paving the way for more robust food safety monitoring systems. One such system is MedISys, developed by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC). Originally designed to track human and animal infectious diseases, chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats, MedISys has expanded to include food and feed hazards. This article explores how MedISys works, what it monitors, and how you can use this information to protect yourself and your family.

We will explore the capabilities of MedISys, and the role of key organizations like the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in identifying and mitigating food-related risks. From additives and supplements to biological hazards and contaminants, understanding these monitoring systems is crucial for making informed choices and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Unpacking MedISys: How Does It Monitor Food Safety?

Interconnected food items with glowing data streams and a magnifying glass hovering over a plate of food, symbolizing food safety monitoring.

MedISys operates as a fully automatic public health surveillance system. Its primary function is to monitor and categorize news articles from the internet, extracting relevant information about potential health threats, including those related to food and feed safety. The system identifies entities like organizations, people, and locations, clusters news articles, and calculates statistics to detect emerging threats.

The system categorizes articles according to predefined multilingual categories, making it easier for users to screen and identify potential issues. MedISys also provides world maps that highlight event locations along with statistics on the reporting of health threats, countries, and combinations thereof.

Key features and functions of MedISys include:

Comprehensive Media Coverage: Monitors a vast array of sources, including official reports, blogs, and specialized publications.
Multilingual Capabilities: Supports multiple languages, allowing for a broader scope of information gathering.
Data Analysis: Extracts key data and trends to identify emerging risks and patterns.
User Accessibility: Provides an interface for users to screen categorized articles and display world maps highlighting event locations.
Filtering Options: Allows users to filter articles by language, news source, and country for targeted monitoring.

By fine-tuning these filters, MedISys reduces the volume of irrelevant news, ensuring that users can focus on the most critical and relevant information. De-duplication processes, using algorithms similar to the Europe Media Monitor (EMM), further refine the data.

Empowering Consumers Through Awareness

Staying informed about food safety is a shared responsibility. By understanding the capabilities of systems like MedISys and the roles of organizations like EFSA, consumers can make more informed choices. While these systems provide valuable data and insights, they are most effective when combined with individual awareness and proactive measures. Together, we can work towards a safer and healthier food future.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.2903/sp.efsa.2011.en-140, Alternate LINK

Title: Customization Of Medisys For The Monitoring Of Food And Feed Hazards

Subject: General Medicine

Journal: EFSA Supporting Publications

Publisher: Wiley

Authors: Jens P. Linge, Jenya Belyaeva

Published: 2011-04-01

Everything You Need To Know

What is MedISys and how does it relate to food safety?

MedISys is a fully automatic public health surveillance system developed by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC). Initially created to track various health threats, it now includes food and feed hazards. MedISys monitors and categorizes news articles from the internet to extract information about potential food safety risks. It identifies entities like organizations, people, and locations, clusters news articles, and calculates statistics to detect emerging threats.

What are the main functions and features of MedISys in monitoring food safety?

MedISys offers several key functions: comprehensive media coverage from official reports and blogs, multilingual capabilities, data analysis to identify trends, user accessibility through an interface displaying categorized articles and world maps, and filtering options by language, news source, and country. These features enable users to focus on the most critical and relevant information regarding potential food safety issues. The system also uses de-duplication processes, similar to the Europe Media Monitor (EMM), to refine data.

How does MedISys help in identifying emerging food-related risks and what types of hazards does it monitor?

MedISys monitors a vast array of sources to identify emerging food-related risks by extracting key data and trends from news articles. It categorizes these articles according to predefined multilingual categories. The system was originally designed to track human and animal infectious diseases, chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats, but it has expanded to include food and feed hazards. By monitoring these diverse sources, MedISys aids in early detection and response to potential food safety issues.

What role do organizations like the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) play in conjunction with systems like MedISys?

Organizations like the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) play a crucial role in identifying and mitigating food-related risks. While MedISys provides valuable data and insights by monitoring and categorizing news articles about potential food safety threats, EFSA uses scientific risk assessments to inform policies and regulations. The data from MedISys can help organizations like EFSA stay informed about emerging hazards, allowing them to conduct timely risk assessments and provide guidance to ensure food safety.

How can consumers use the information provided by systems like MedISys to protect themselves and their families, and what are the limitations of relying solely on such systems?

Consumers can use information from systems like MedISys, along with guidance from organizations like EFSA, to make more informed choices about the food they consume. By understanding potential risks and staying aware of emerging threats, individuals can take proactive measures to safeguard their health. However, relying solely on MedISys has limitations; it is most effective when combined with individual awareness, proactive measures, and a broader understanding of food safety principles. Continuous monitoring of food safety guidelines and practices is essential for comprehensive protection.