Evolution of foodborne disease surveillance in China: A 32-year journey from monitoring to early warning.

China's foodborne disease (FBD) surveillance system was implemented later than those in most developed countries. However, in the past 32 years, it has undergone improvements: from pilot projects to full coverage; from a passive mode to an active one; from localized development to the integration of international standards; and from a single function to a comprehensive system. During this process, China's health administrative departments have adjusted their regulatory departments and functions for FBDs in response to evolving epidemiological patterns of FBD. Simultaneously, they have used a phased, step-by-step approach to promote the use of whole genome sequencing (WGS) technology, according to the level of regional economic development, to facilitate FBD traceability. However, the system must be further improved in terms of traceability capabilities, multi-departmental collaboration, and data sharing mechanisms. At various historical stages, FBD outbreaks in China have shown distinct regional characteristics, and the spectrum of common pathogenic bacteria in China differs from those in the Europe Union (EU) and the United States. In China, diseases caused by microorganisms such as