Tadong, Sikkim
September 10, 2025
A significant leap in digital public health was achieved with the launch of the Foodborne Disease Surveillance Analytical Dashboard (ICMR-FoodNet) on September 10th, 2025 at the Sikkim Manipal Institute of Medical Sciences, Tadong. Developed by C-DAC Kolkata under the ICMR mission project "Surveillance of Foodborne Pathogens in North East India," this platform is poised to redefine how foodborne diseases and outbreaks are monitored and managed nationwide.
The dashboard, integrated with the ICMR-FoodNet Digital Platform (www.icmrfoodnet.in) and currently being rolled out across all eight North-Eastern states, provides a real-time, data-driven, and robust surveillance system. By uniting technology, epidemiology, and policy insights, it enhances outbreak preparedness and reinforces India's food safety ecosystem.
At the core of the FoodNet Dashboard are several cutting-edge features designed to empower health professionals:
- Regional Disease Prevalence: Offers detailed stateand districtlevel visualization of pathogen distribution, helping authorities pinpoint infection hotspots and prioritize interventions.
- Source Attribution: Identifies contamination routes through food, water, and animal carriers, enabling quicker containment of outbreaks at their source.
- Geospatial Mapping: Uses mapping tools to highlight high-risk clusters and hotspots, guiding targeted surveillance and rapid public health action.
- Temporal Analysis: Tracks seasonal and periodic trends in outbreaks, aiding predictions of disease surges during monsoon months or festival seasons.
- AMR Profiling: Monitors antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in pathogens, issuing early alerts that support appropriate treatment strategies and contribute to national AMR action plans.
Experts suggest that these capabilities could significantly reduce the time between outbreak detection and response, thereby lowering risks to both public health and the economy. Equipped with real-time analytics and evidence-based insights, the platform is designed to empower scientists, epidemiologists, and policymakers in making informed decisions and optimizing resource planning.
The launch was graced by Dr. Ch. A. S Murty, ScientistG & Centre Head, C-DAC Kolkata;Dr. Iddya Karunasagar (International Consultant, FAO) and Chairperson (TRG); Dr. Sunita Grover, Former head Diary Microbiology division, ICAR-NDRI; Dr. T Ramamurthy, Sr. Consultant, ICMR-NIRBI;Dr. Madhuchhanda Das , Scientist E , ICMR, New Delhi & Project Co-Ordinator along with experts, scientists from ICMR-NIRBI, Food Safety officials, and partner institutions across the NE states, reflecting the strong spirit of collaboration for public health resilience.
With its scalable model for nationwide implementation, the ICMR-FoodNet Dashboard is being recognized as a game-changing initiative to enhance India's preparedness against foodborne diseases and reinforce the nation's commitment to ensuring food safety for all citizens.
