Review of European circular food systems' food safety risks

Author(s): Lara Wilson*

Systems for producing food in Europe have improved greatly in terms of high output, quality, and safety. These production methods are not, however, viable because a sizeable amount of the output is lost or wasted during the supply chain, among other factors. A goal of the European Union is to attain climate neutrality by implementing improved waste management practises and a circular economy. Reducing food waste and losses, as well as reusing or recycling waste products from the manufacturing of food and feed, are all part of this. The sustainability of the European food systems would be considerably enhanced by a circular economy, but (new) food safety risks must be taken into consideration. By-products being reintroduced into the system, new processing steps being employed for recycling, and/or existing dangers building up in the food supply chain due to the reuse of (by-) products can all result in new or poorly understood risks. This analysis discusses the risks to food safety in the circular biobased economy, focusing on the areas of plant, animal, aquaculture, and packaging production. Instead of providing a comprehensive list of all potential risks, circular food production system examples are provided, showing the current and future risks to food safety. There is little current literature on newly emerging risks to food safety in the circular economy. Therefore, further study is required to pinpoint potential threats to food safety, quantify how they accumulate and are distributed throughout the food and feed production systems, and create strategies for their control and mitigation.

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