A study benchmarking food-safety performance in 16 countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development ranked Canada first, followed by Ireland and France. The study assessed safety performance with 10 indicators comprising three categories—science-based risk assessment, policy- and commercially based risk management, and risk communication and information exchange. The science-based indicators included chemical and microbial risks. Pesticide use was highest in Japan, Belgium and the Netherlands, and lowest in Finland, Norway and Sweden. Also covered were total diet studies (TDS), which report consumption of chemicals including heavy metals, mycotoxins and radionuclides. Countries differ in the content, frequency and reporting of TDSs. France and Italy were rated highest for conducting TDSs every five years or less, reporting them recently and making them publicly available. Incidences of illness reported by food-borne pathogens per 100,000 people from 2006 to 2012 were lowest in Austria, Canada, France, Ireland, Japan, the UK and the US, and highest in Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy and Sweden.

Source: The Conference Board of Canada