A novel approach in public health surveillance: searching the illegal dairy trade in Facebook

ABSTRACT

This paper uses the internet-based biosurveillance to describe the Brazilian e-commerce of non-inspected dairy products and maps its traditional sale in a medium-sized city (Londrina). We searched the sales of illegal dairy products on Facebook Marketplace and conducted a census of street markets and a random sample of formal markets. Although prohibited in Brazil, consumers can easily find informal dairy products on internet and retail sale. In addition, 7% of the food products hold a false label to mimic food inspection. The e-commerce was linked with regions with higher access to technology and Human Development Index (HDI). We believe that our approach shows a step forward in the public health interventions and could be replicated stimulating debates about policies required to improve the public health surveillance.

KEYWORDS:

• Informal markets
• inspection
• milk
• cheese

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Authorsʻ contributions

Conceptualization: Fagnani, R. Data acquisition: Bueno, B.S.B.; Itida, R.M. Data analysis: Fagnani, R.; Galhardo, J.A.G.; Bueno, B.S.B.; Itida, R.M. Design of methodology: Fagnani, R. Software development: Fagnani, R.; Galhardo, J.A.G.; Writing and editing: Fagnani, R.; Galhardo, J.A.G.; Vanot, R. L.; Bueno, B.S.B.; Itida, R.M.

Data availability statement

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by scholarships from the Brazilian National Research Council [CNPq] and Fundação Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento do Ensino Superior Particular (FUNADESP);

Notes on contributors

Rafael Fagnani

Rafael Fagnani grew up in Bauru, São Paulo State, Brazil. He began his veterinary medical studies at State University of Londrina (Brazil) in 2002. After his graduation in 2006, he received Masterʻs degree (2008) and PhD (2013) in Animal Science from the same University. Rafael Fagnani is currently a professor at Univ. Norte do Paraná (UNOPAR), magister science program in science and technology of milk. His research interests include milk quality, alcohol stability of milk, food safety, milking hygiene membrane process and biodiversity.

Beatriz dos Santos Bueno

Beatriz dos Santos Bueno is in the fifth year of veterinary medicine at the State University of Londrina. She was part of the “PIIO” extension program, which teaches children about basic hygiene, preventing the occurrence of intestinal parasites.

Rafael Mikio Itida

Rafael Mikio Itida is graduated in Veterinary at Universidade Estadual de Londrina. Actually he is in the residency program in Milk Quality at the State University of Londrina, with advanced training in inspection and quality of milk and dairy, dairy production medicine and herd health.

Juliana Arena Galhardo

Juliana Arena Galhardo: graduation at Medicina Veterinária from Universidade Estadual de Londrina (2003), masterʻs at Veterinary Medicine from Universidade Estadual de Londrina (2006) and doctorate at Veterinary Medicine from Universidade Estadual de Londrina (2016). Has experience in Veterinary Medicine, focusing on Animal Epidemiology.