Review highlights food contamination risks

A review has looked into different types of food contaminants and the drivers behind food safety risks to help with their detection and control.

The study focused on current types of food contaminants, advances in detection technologies, emerging risks, and the latest developments in regulatory frameworks through a review of 116 articles published between 2019 and 2024.

Contaminants were put into three categories: biological, chemical, and physical. Six key drivers of current and future food safety risks were demographic change, economic factors, environmental conditions, geopolitical shifts, consumer priorities and technological advancements.

Biological contaminants include pathogens like bacteria and viruses, while chemical contaminants cover pesticides, heavy metals, and naturally occurring toxins. Physical contaminants involve foreign objects such as microplastics and packaging materials.

A cross-border threat
“Our review shows that food contamination is a borderless threat that no nation can tackle alone. Pairing next-generation detection technologies with stronger international partnerships will be critical to keeping harmful contaminants out of the global food supply,” said Dr Helen Onyeaka, from the University of Birmingham.

“The data reveal that contaminants of emerging concern are surfacing faster than many food safety systems can track them. Leveraging artificial intelligence for real-time surveillance will enable regulators and industry to spot risks earlier and intervene before they reach consumers.”

Researchers from the universities of Birmingham, Bedfordshire, and Oxford aimed to provide insights into the current and future challenges in food safety, with a particular focus on emerging risks that could impact the global supply chain. Results were published in the Journal of Environmental Management.

They found growing concerns about the impact of war and chemical warfare agents on safe food and regional differences in drivers of food safety risks.

An uneven understanding of emerging contaminants and the future drivers, and their impacts on the food system, the environment, and human health by international, regional, and national regulatory agencies highlights the need for more international cooperation.

Suggestions for future work
Detection tools and techniques such as advanced biosensors, portable devices and Industry 4.0 technologies such as machine learning have been discussed in the literature to improve the detection of contaminants in different foods. While some technologies have been partially implemented in certain sectors, others are still in the pilot testing phase. There was also some disparity in contaminant control and detection technologies between developed and developing regions.

The study showed that various emerging contaminants have been detected in foods but have not been formally regulated.

Scientists called for greater international cooperation in food contamination research.

“While we did not find significant regional differences regarding the types of contaminants, we did notice regional differences regarding the prevention, detection, and control of food contamination.”  

Other proposals include harmonizing food safety legislation across regions to address the global nature of food contamination and increasing public awareness and education to enhance the understanding of contamination risks and prevention strategies.

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Source: https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2025/05/review-highlights-food-contamination-risks/