Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Nov 30;24(1):68.
doi: 10.1186/s12199-019-0825-5.

Public health risks related to food safety issues in the food market: a systematic literature review

Zemichael Gizaw  1
Affiliations

Public health risks related to food safety issues in the food market: a systematic literature review

Zemichael Gizaw. Environ Health Prev Med. .

Abstract

Background: Food safety in the food market is one of the key areas of focus in public health, because it affects people of every age, race, gender, and income level around the world. The local and international food marketing continues to have significant impacts on food safety and health of the public. Food supply chains now cross multiple national borders which increase the internationalization of health risks. This systematic review of literature was, therefore, conducted to identify common public health risks related to food safety issues in the food market.

Methods: All published and unpublished quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method studies were searched from electronic databases using a three step searching. Analytical framework was developed using the PICo (population, phenomena of interest, and context) method. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using mixed methods appraisal tool (MMAT) version 2018. The included full-text articles were qualitatively analyzed using emergent thematic analysis approach to identify key concepts and coded them into related non-mutually exclusive themes. We then synthesized each theme by comparing the discussion and conclusion of the included articles. Emergent themes were identified based on meticulous and systematic reading. Coding and interpreting the data were refined during analysis.

Results: The analysis of 81 full-text articles resulted in seven common public health risks related with food safety in the food market. Microbial contamination of foods, chemical contamination of foods, food adulteration, misuse of food additives, mislabeling, genetically modified foods (GM foods), and outdated foods or foods past their use-by dates were the identified food safety-related public health risks in the food market.

Conclusion: This systematic literature review identified common food safety-related public health risks in the food market. The results imply that the local and international food marketing continues to have significant impacts on health of the public. The food market increases internationalization of health risks as the food supply chains cross multiple national borders. Therefore, effective national risk-based food control systems are essential to protect the health and safety of the public. Countries need also assure the safety and quality of their foods entering international trade and ensure that imported foods conform to national requirements.

Keywords: Food hygiene; Food marketing; Food quality; Food safety; Public health hazards; Public health problems; Public health risks.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The author declares that he has no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Study selection flow diagram
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Regions where the included full-text articles conducted
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Comparison of food safety issues in developed and developing countries
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Uyttendaele M, Franz E, Schlüter O. Food safety, a global challenge. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2016;13(1):67. doi: 10.3390/ijerph13010067. - DOI
    1. Radovanovic R. Food safety: the global problem as a challenge for future initiatives and activities. Advances in Food Protection: Springer; 2011. p. 27-48.
    1. World Health Orgnization (WHO). Food safety fact sheet, 04 June 2019. Available at https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/food-safety. Accessed on 06 Aug 2019.
    1. Hawkes C. Uneven dietary development: linking the policies and processes of globalization with the nutrition transition, obesity and diet-related chronic diseases. Global Health. 2006;2(1):4. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Athukorala PC, Jayasuriya S. Food safety issues, trade and WTO rules: a developing country perspective. World Econ. 2003;26(9):1395–1416.

Publication types