Signal Prioritisation Dashboard (SPD)

Stage in GSE Lifecyle

Primary stage : Horizon Scan

Related stage(s) : Define/Design | Maintain | Build Capability

One of the high impact tools developed in-house by FSA’s Strategic Surveillance is SPD. It is a horizon scanning application which acts as a food safety information system. It consolidates food, feed, and food contact material related signals from over 50 open sources each day into a single access point. A signal can be understood as an 'alert' flagged by a source about a potential or verified food hazard issue in a country.

The SPD automatically extracts, translates, cleans and standardises the data. It classifies the signals based on hazard severity and delivers it to end users through a user-friendly dashboard.

The SPD provides users with complete transparency and control over the data sources and the logic used for the prioritisation of signals. It dramatically improves our overview of food safety issues. It has reduced our dependency on third-party systems and has resulted in significant annual savings. It was shortlisted for the Food & Drink Federation’s Digital Transformation Award 2021.

An image of a computer screen showing lines of code

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Team

Strategic Surveillance

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Department(s)

Food Standards Agency

Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)

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Contact Details

Email : strategic.surveillance@food.gov.uk

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Description

The Strategic Surveillance Service is a data science team formed in 2017 to strengthen the FSA’s food surveillance arsenal and support its food safety mission. The team develops tools and techniques to turn data into intelligence, using machine learning and artificial intelligence. This helps us and our external users make quicker, better informed actions to protect consumers.