Food Safety
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Safety
  • NEWS
    • Latest News
    • White Papers
  • PRODUCTS
  • TOPICS
    • Contamination Control
    • Food Types
    • Management
    • Process Control
    • Regulatory
    • Sanitation
    • Supply Chain
    • Testing and Analysis
  • PODCAST
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Food Safety Five Newsreel
    • eBooks
    • FSM Distinguished Service Award
    • Interactive Product Spotlights
    • Videos
  • BUYER'S GUIDE
  • MORE
    • ENEWSLETTER >
      • Archive Issues
      • Subscribe to eNews
    • Store
    • Sponsor Insights
  • WEBINARS
  • FOOD SAFETY SUMMIT
  • EMAG
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issues
    • Editorial Advisory Board
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!
ManagementBest PracticesInternational

Are our Diets at the Intersection of Food Safety and Sustainability?

By Diana Bogueva Ph.D., Dora Marinova Ph.D.
fruit edited to look like planet earth hanging from a tree branch

Credit: geralt (geralt-9301) via Pixabay

December 19, 2022

The answer to the question posed in the title of this article is an immediate "yes"—our diets are at the intersection of food safety and sustainability. According to the 2019 Lancet Commission report, "Food systems have the potential to nurture human health and support environmental sustainability; however, they are currently threatening both."1 Our dietary choices are contributing to the pressure on global food systems. Modern diets are expected to consist of nutritious, environmentally sustainable, high-quality and safe foods, enabling people to satisfy their nutrient requirements and avoiding foodborne illnesses. In reality, current diets are increasingly unhealthy, unsustainable, and inequitable for many population groups. They are often not up to the required food safety standards, particularly in non-Western countries. The West appears to exhibit heightened awareness about food safety, with many countries claiming that they maintain high standards during the production, distribution, storage, and sale of food, and that they have mandatory legal requirements to protect people.2 However, there is less understanding of what makes human diets sustainable in a way that ensures global food security and sustainability.

High-Quality, Safe, and Sustainable Diets

The Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition defines high-quality diets as "…those that eliminate hunger, are safe, reduce all forms of malnutrition, promote health, and are produced sustainably—i.e., without undermining the environmental basis to generate high-quality diets for future generations3 This means that a high-quality diet should consist of safe foods providing the appropriate levels of nutrients and other essential micronutrients to support people's physiological and physical activities. The issue of malnutrition is complex as it covers undernutrition (e.g., hunger, starvation, stunting, and micronutrient deficiencies or insufficiencies) and also overeating (i.e., overweight and obesity), or consuming the wrong types of foods (e.g., overprocessed or with a high sugar content).4 Depending on the quantity of the food consumed, eating safe foods can result in both types of malnutrition. The sustainability of human diets is even more complex, as it takes into consideration the ability to produce food with the required characteristics associated with individual health, as well as the non-nutritional impacts of people's food choices, such as environmental, social, cultural, and economic. In 2020, the same Global Panel concluded that present food systems are no longer fit for purpose and are leading toward a deterioration in both human and environmental health.4 Moreover, poor human diets pose higher risks to mortality and morbidity than the combined effects of unsafe sex, alcohol, drug and tobacco use, while many environmental systems are pushed beyond the safe operating space of the planet.1 Contrary to the definition of high-quality diets, our food choices cause unacceptable negative environmental deterioration, including contributing to climate change, biodiversity loss, and reduction in soil fertility. They also function as a notable risk factor for the global burden of disease and death.5,6

Irrespective of whether food is safe to consume, suboptimal diets with high intakes of sugar, processed meat, red meat, and sodium result in significant morbidity and mortality, estimated at 11 million deaths and 255 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in 2017.4 While there are limits in the intake of these elements in national dietary guidelines, the link between the state of nature and human health is rarely recognized. Red meat, and beef in particular, not only contributes to deteriorating individual health but is also the most unsustainable way of feeding people and the most inefficient way of converting protein inputs for human consumption.7

Food Safety

Food is fundamental to human existence, and its safety is "everyone's issue."8 Obliged by safety standards, food must be produced in ways that are safe and suitable for consumption, minimizing the risk of individuals becoming sick from foodborne illnesses. Food safety acts as a prerequisite to ensuring food security globally9 and encourages the consumption of food free from contamination, pathogens, and microbiological agents such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites.

Despite all of these conditions being essential to human health, food safety remains a very anthropocentric concept. Its main preoccupation is with avoiding harm to humans. It does not, however, consider harming other living species. The application of pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, industrial methods of farming, factory farming of livestock, use of antimicrobials, and other technological solutions have facilitated the expansion of food production under the watchful eye of governmental organizations charged with protecting human health. Back in 1962, Rachel Carson raised the alarm about the environmental impact of such compounds in her book Silent Spring.10 These trends have since expanded, transgressing Earth's planetary boundaries and taking food production into high-risk zones.11 A worrying outcome from this is, for example, the sharp decline and extinction of insects threatening the processes of plant pollination.12 What is safe for humans is often not safe for other species, potentially leading to catastrophic consequences.

Recently, there has been an increasing awareness and a growing emphasis among consumers on the environmental performance of the food they eat. Consumers anticipate increased transparency around its carbon footprint and the sustainability and responsible sourcing of the ingredients used. Their attitudes are shifting to an increased focus on improving health amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but also because of climate change, extreme weather events, and other ecological concerns related to food's environmental impact.8 Consumers demand simplified and cleaner food labeling.13 As more scientific evidence emerges about the intersection of food safety and sustainability, the food sector is being challenged by consumer sensitivity in an attempt to maintain public trust. The community is also voicing its social sustainability concerns related to the affordability of food and its cultural appropriateness.14

The Road Ahead

At an intersection, several possible routes lie ahead. If food security is the destination we want to reach, then food safety and food sustainability should not be seen as two alternative routes. "Food safety and food security are, by necessity, complementing aims for achieving freedom from hunger,"15 as well as all other forms of malnutrition.

In mathematics and logics, necessity and sufficiency are two conditions describing the way to reach a conclusion. In achieving long-term food security, food safety is a necessary condition; in other words, food security can occur only with food that is safe. The sufficient condition, however, is for food systems to be sustainable. If we revisit the question posed in the title of this article, the answer now is clear: only sustainable diets can guarantee long-term food security.

References

  1. Willett, W., J. Rockström, B. Loken, et al. "Food in the Anthropocene: The EAT–Lancet Commission on Healthy Diets from Sustainable Food Systems." The Lancet 393, no. 10170 (2019): 447–492. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31788-4.
  2. Food Safety Standards Australia and New Zealand. "Food Standards Code." 2021. https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/code/Pages/default.aspx.
  3. Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition. "Food Systems and Diets: Facing the Challenges of the 21st Century." 2016. https://www.glopan.org/foresight1/.
  4. Afshin, A., P. J. Sur, K. A. Fay, et al. "Health Effects of Dietary Risks in 195 Countries, 1990–2017: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017." The Lancet 393, no. 10184 (2019), 1958–1972.
  5. Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition "Future Food Systems: For People, our Planet, and Prosperity." 2020. https://foresight.glopan.org.
  6. Fanzo, J. and C. Davis. "Can Diets be Healthy, Sustainable, and Equitable? Current Obesity Reports 8 (2019): 495–503. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-019-00362-0.
  7. Swinburn, B. A., V. I. Kraak, S. Allender, et al. "The Global Syndemic of Obesity, Undernutrition, and Climate Change: The Lancet Commission Report." The Lancet 393 (2019): 791–846. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32822-8.
  8. Poore, J. and T. Nemecek. "Reducing Food's Environmental Impacts through Producers and Consumers." Science 360 (2018): 987–992.
  9. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. "Thinking About the Future of Food Safety: A Foresight Report." 2022. https://doi.org/10.4060/cb8667en
  10. Pires, S. M., S. T. Thomsen, M. Nauta, et al. "Food Safety Implications of Transitions toward Sustainable Healthy Diets. Food and Nutrition Bulletin 41 (2020): 104S–124S. https://doi.org/10.1177/0379572120953047
  11. Carson, Rachel. Silent Spring. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin, 1962.
  12. Marinova, D., and D. Bogueva. Food in a Planetary Emergency. Berlin, Germany: Springer, 2022.
  13. Goulson, D. Silent Earth: Averting the Insect Apocalypse. Vintage, 2022.
  14. Macready, A. L., S. Hieke, S., M. Klimczuk-Kochańska, et al. "Consumer Trust in the Food Value Chain and its Impact on Consumer Confidence: A Model for Assessing Consumer Trust and Evidence from a 5-Country Study in Europe." Food Policy 92, no. 101880 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2020.101880.
  15. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and World Health Organization. "Sustainable Healthy Diets: Guiding Principles." 2019. https://www.fao.org/3/ca6640en/ca6640en.pdf.
  16. Vågsholm, I., N. S. Arzoomand, and S. Boqvist. "Food Security, Safety, and Sustainability—Getting the Trade-Offs Right." Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 4, no. 16 (2020). https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2020.00016/full.
KEYWORDS: food quality food safety food security sustainability

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Diana Bogueva, Ph.D. is the President of the Global Harmonization Initiative (GHI). She is also a Research Fellow at Curtin University working on an ARC grant investigating the health and environmental impacts of Australian Food and Agricultural policies. She holds a Ph.D. in Food Sustainability from Curtin University.

Dora Marinova, Ph.D., is Professor of Sustainability at the Curtin University Sustainability Policy (CUSP) Institute in Australia, and was CUSP Director from 2015–2018 and Deputy Director from 2007–2014. She has published more than 320 articles in prestigious journals and has edited an award-winning book, Impact of Meat Consumption on Health and Environmental Sustainability. 

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • people holding baby chicks

    Serovar Differences Matter: Utility of Deep Serotyping in Broiler Production and Processing

    This article discusses the significance of Salmonella in...
    Food Type
    By: Nikki Shariat Ph.D.
  • woman washing hands

    Building a Culture of Hygiene in the Food Processing Plant

    Everyone entering a food processing facility needs to...
    Personal Hygiene/Handwashing
    By: Richard F. Stier, M.S.
  • graphical representation of earth over dirt

    Climate Change and Emerging Risks to Food Safety: Building Climate Resilience

    This article examines the multifaceted threats to food...
    Best Practices
    By: Maria Cristina Tirado Ph.D., D.V.M. and Shamini Albert Raj M.A.
Manage My Account
  • eMagazine Subscription
  • Subscribe to eNewsletter
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Website Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Food Safety Magazine audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Food Safety Magazine or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • mold
    Sponsored byIFC

    Tackling Mold Remediation in Food Processing Plants

  • a worker in a food processing plant
    Sponsored byLPS® DETEX®

    How a Beverage Facility Improved Food Safety and Compliance with Detectable Packaging Solutions

  • Two men standing in a produce storage facility having a discussion.
    Sponsored byOrkin Commercial

    Staying Compliant With FSMA

Popular Stories

carton of dozen brown eggs

Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Eggs Ends With One Dead, 38 Hospitalized

close-up shot of nickel metal

New EU Maximum Levels for Nickel Now Apply to Dozens of Foods

blue iced donuts next to pie of sugar with blue written in it

FDA Authorizes Use of Fourth ‘Natural’ Food Dye, Gardenia Blue

Events

July 22, 2025

Beyond the Binder: Digital Management of Food Safety

Live: July 22, 2025 at 3:00 pm EDT: During this webinar, attendees will learn best practices for the use of digital food safety management systems across industry and regulatory agencies.

August 7, 2025

Achieve Active Managerial Control of Major Risk Factors Using a Food Safety Management System

Live: August 7, 2025 at 2:00 pm EDT: From this webinar, attendees will learn about changes to the FDA Food Code, which now includes a requirement for FSMS. 

May 11, 2026

The Food Safety Summit

Stay informed on the latest food safety trends, innovations, emerging challenges, and expert analysis. Leave the Summit with actionable insights ready to drive measurable improvements in your organization. Do not miss this opportunity to learn from experts about contamination control, food safety culture, regulations, sanitation, supply chain traceability, and so much more.

View All

Products

Global Food Safety Microbial Interventions and Molecular Advancements

Global Food Safety Microbial Interventions and Molecular Advancements

See More Products
Environmental Monitoring Excellence eBook

Related Articles

  • man reaching for nut milk

    Examining the Safety of Alternative Milks

    See More
  • cow getting a shot

    The Links between Meat Consumption and Antimicrobial Resistance

    See More
  • person loading crate of produce onto truck on farm in Africa

    The Global Food Crossroads: Challenges and Opportunities Ahead

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • 1119053595.jpg

    Food Safety for the 21st Century: Managing HACCP and Food Safety throughout the Global Supply Chain, 2E

  • 1119258073.jpg

    FSMA and Food Safety Systems: Understanding and Implementing the Rules

  • 9781498721776.jpg

    Handbook of Food Processing: Food Safety, Quality, and Manufacturing Processes

See More Products

Related Directories

  • Saldesia "Goddess of Food Safety"

    Saldesia is a distributor of Food Safety products and solutions. We are focused on supplying the Quality, Production, Safety and Sanitation departments. Product lines include Color Coded, Metal Detectable, Antimicrobial Flooring & Mats, Workwear, Footwear, Spray Nozzles, and more!
  • Spoiler Alert Food Safety

    Spoiler Alert! Food Safety is the premier cloud based digital food safety platform for iOS. This powerful yet simple to app allows you to; track food rotation, generate easy to read smart labels, track product life cycle and alert all of your mobile devices along the way. Our exclusive eco-friendly wash away labels rinse safely down the drain. Starting at just $9.99/mo. Start your 30 day FREE trial today. https://www.spoileralertfoodsafety.com Download in the App Store - Spoiler Alert Food Safety Developed in the U.S.A. by restaurant professionals, for restaurant professionals.
  • Institute of Food Technologists

    Since 1939, the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) has served as the voice of the global food science community. IFT advocates for science, technology, and research to address the world’s greatest food challenges, guiding our community of more than 200,000. IFT convenes professionals from around the world – from producers and product developers to innovators and researchers across food, nutrition, and public health – with a shared mission to help create a global food supply that is sustainable, safe, nutritious, and accessible to all. IFT provides its growing community spanning academia, industry, and government with the resources, connections, and opportunities necessary to stay ahead of a rapidly evolving food system as IFT helps feed the minds that feed the world. For more information, please visit ift.org.
×

Never miss the latest news and trends driving the food safety industry

eNewsletter | Website | eMagazine

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing