Globalisation has made the farm-to-fork journey complex, and with it comes the potential for food contamination in local contexts to spiral into global crises. A largely reactive food safety approach, the rapid growth in urbanisation, and climate change events are linked to the spread of food-borne illnesses, which affect hundreds of millions of people in low- and middle-income countries. This brief argues that building resilient food safety systems requires a proactive, whole-of-system approach, aided by technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Internet of Things. This would translate to the early identification, evaluation, and mitigation of food risks before they proliferate. The brief proposes strategies for a resilient food security ecosystem by drawing on influential frameworks and identifying systemic loopholes that need to be addressed.
Food safety is a critical global public health concern: Ensuring that food is free from biological, chemical, and physical hazards that could harm consumers. With the globalisation of food supply chains, increasing complexity in food production, and rising consumer awareness, the need for robust food safety strategies has never been more pressing. These challenges are compounded by emerging risks such as antimicrobial resistance, climate change impacts on food production, and the rapid expansion of global trade.
Food safety efforts have historically focused on reactive measures, such as responding to outbreaks or incidents of contamination. However, modern strategies for achieving food safety include technical, regulatory, and educational measures. This shift is driven by the recognition that food safety is not solely a technical issue but also a behavioural, cultural, and systemic one. International organisations, governments, and businesses play a pivotal role in establishing and enforcing standards, while education and shared responsibility among stakeholders ensure their effective implementation.
This paper can be accessed here.
This paper is authored by Shoba Suri, ORF, New Delhi.
