Opportunities and challenges for global food safety in advancing circular policies and practices in agrifood systems

Abstract

Sustainable agrifood systems are needed to provide safe and nutritious food for the growing world's population. To improve sustainability, transforming linear policies and practices in agrifood systems into circularity will be critical, with food safety considerations key for the success of this shift. This review provides a synthesis of the current and emerging risks, data gaps, and opportunities for food safety in agrifood initiatives aiming to advance circular economy models.

Fig. 1. Focus points for food safety in transforming to circular practices and policies in agrifood systems.

To successfully advance circular policies and practices all agrifood system actors have a role to play in ensuring sustainability in all its dimensions, while also focusing on producing safe food. Adopting a “safe-by-design” approach in innovating ensures that food safety risks are characterized throughout the research and adoption of circular processes. Food safety hazards in circular agrifood systems can be present in feedstock, processed material, and final products and these hazards have varying implications for food safety. Characterization of the risk to consumers from these hazards, and if required development and validation of risk management, enables a proactive approach to maintaining food safety. Food safety regulation must enable and support agrifood systems transformation and must also align with chemical approval and waste legislation to support life cycle assessment and good management of waste infrastructure and treatment.