EFSA has published two reports – Survey on use of WSG and ENGAGE project - which provide a picture of how whole genome sequencing (WGS) can be used in food safety and how extensively such techniques are used in Europe.
Survey on use of WSG
In 2016, the Authority, in conjunction with the European Commission, carried out a survey on the use of WGS for food- and waterborne pathogens isolated from animals, food, feed and their environment in EU/EFTA countries.
The key findings are:
- By the end of 2016 WGS was already being used in laboratories in 17 out of 30 countries
- The main reason for not using WGS is a lack of experience and financial resources
- WGS was mainly used to support outbreak investigations
ENGAGE project
The final report of the project “Establishing next generation sequencing ability for genomic analysis in Europe” (ENGAGE) includes a description of all milestones achieved. The aim of the project, co-funded by EFSA, was to boost scientific cooperation among European laboratories to use WGS in food safety and public health protection.