The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has published the results of an extensive literature review examining the effects of consuming three pervasive, chemical food contaminants—pesticide residues, veterinary drug residues, and microplastics—on the human gut microbiome. The literature reviews aim to fill existing knowledge gaps about how dietary components can impact the gut microbiome and human health, which is crucial information to improve food safety risk assessment.

Food safety was the central focus of the three reviews, which identify research limitations, knowledge gaps, and areas that need further investigation before using gut microbiome data in chemical evaluations and in the advancement of food safety risk assessment. The reviews can serve as a starting point for multidisciplinary discussions with risk assessors to support regulatory science and policy development.