FAO Illustrates Approach to Ensuring Food Safety While Moving Toward Circular Agri-Food Systems
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With relation to circular agri-food production models, a recent article authored by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) experts has explored the current and emerging risks, data gaps, and opportunities for food safety.
A transition from linear practices to circularity in agri-food systems seeks to "do more with less" by minimizing waste and closing material and processing loops. Unlike other sectors, circular practices in agri-food systems face unique challenges due to the perishable nature and short shelf-life of food products; however, food safety management is still largely based on approaches designed for linear systems. Given this, it is crucial to conduct thorough analyses of vulnerable entry points and potential risks in circular agri-food practices to maintain effective food safety risk management.
The article examined the circular agri-food issues of water reuse, food loss and waste, and packaging waste.
Water Reuse
In many areas, demand for freshwater in food production exceeds natural replenishment. Sustainable water management requires prioritizing freshwater allocation and minimizing over-extraction, given environmental challenges, climate change, and growing global demand. Current initiatives are exploring water reuse in agri-food systems, but reused water can pose food safety risks, including pathogen contamination from sources like fecal matter and microbial presence in irrigation water. Pathogen transfer to crops, particularly those eaten raw, is a concern, although non-contact irrigation methods like sub-surface drip can reduce this risk. Chemical hazards, such as pharmaceuticals in recycled water, are another issue, with studies showing microbes with antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes and contaminants like per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in reused water sources.
Food Loss and Waste
Globally, about 14 percent of food is lost between post-harvest and retail stages, while 17 percent is wasted at retail and consumer stages. Reducing food loss and waste can be achieved through methods like composting or conversion into feed. Yet, contaminants like microbes, AMR genes, and chemicals can persist in recycled food waste, posing food safety risks when these products re-enter the food chain. Proper treatment and screening of waste, as well as composting and reusing waste in non-contact applications, can help mitigate risks; however, challenges remain, such as contamination by mycotoxins and microplastics. Additionally, consumer behaviors aimed at reducing food waste can sometimes conflict with food safety practices, increasing the need for proper guidance to avoid risky actions like consuming spoiled or moldy food.
Packaging Waste
Packaging is essential for food safety and security, protecting food from contamination and reducing waste. However, plastic packaging contributes significantly to environmental waste, with 37.3 million tons used globally in 2019—much of it non-biodegradable.
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Recycling plastic packaging can help with sustainability, but it introduces hazards such as non-intentionally added substances that pose contamination risks. Reusable packaging extends the lifecycle of materials but must be adequately cleaned to avoid contamination, and long-term reuse can lead to degradation and microplastics release. Innovations in packaging design, including biodegradable alternatives and smarter packaging, can help reduce food waste, but often involve trade-offs with recyclability and safety.
Moving Forward
While precaution should not hinder efforts to advance circularity in agri-food systems, addressing food safety as a core component in innovation and adoption of circular practices is necessary. Ensuring that food safety hazards are characterized while researching and adopting circular policies and practices will help assure that the resulting food is safe when produced or packaged using these new approaches.
To successfully advance circular policies and practices, all actors in the agri-food system have a role to play in ensuring sustainability, while also focusing on producing safe food. Adopting a “safe-by-design” approach, illustrated by FAO here, can help characterize food safety risks while striving for circularity. Food safety hazards in circular agri-food systems can arise in feedstock, processed materials, and final products, each posing different risks to food safety. Assessing the potential risks to consumers and, if necessary, developing and validating risk management strategies, ensures a proactive approach to safeguarding food. Food safety regulations should facilitate and support the transformation of agri-food systems while aligning with chemical approval processes and waste legislation to promote effective lifecycle assessments and the responsible management of waste infrastructure and treatment.
