Food safety challenges in the global supply chain
LLC, Komplex D, Head of Quality Assurance and Compliance, Ukraine.
Research Article
World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2021, 11(03), 527-539
Publication history:
Received on 13 August 2021; revised on 23 September 2021; accepted on 25 September 2021
Abstract:
Food is more accessible and diverse than ever largely because of the food supply in the global food chain, but also are the challenges to food safety. Contamination risks, regulation differences, traceability gaps, and emerging threats (such as climate change and pandemics) exist. Contamination of one part of the world can quickly affect consumers worldwide, creating health crises and loss of trust, and taking a financial toll on businesses. Some of the major challenges are biological hazards such as Salmonella and Listeria, chemical contamination such as from pesticides and toxins and inadequate traceability systems. The regulations are very much country based and as a result of this we have enforcement gaps and it becomes very hard for business to comply. Food security is also exacerbated by climate change, which changes the way we grow, keep and transport food, and recent events like the COVID 19 pandemic have forcibly demonstrated weaknesses in ability to move and follow food around. On top of that, there’s food fraud: products being intentionally misrepresented to make a buck, at the expense of consumer health. In order to handle these challenges, innovative technologies and global cooperation are necessary. The use of blockchain and IoT helps in increasing traceability and allows the real time monitoring of the food quality. With artificial intelligence, we can predict risks that will happen before they happen, precision farming to ensure they’re sustainable and safer, and waste reduction. But if these solutions are going to be effective, governments and international bodies need to line up their food safety standards and deal with them together. Concluding, this study emphasizes on the collaboration that regulators, businesses and consumers need to come together. Through technology, harmonization of regulations and favoring sustainable practices, the food industry can develop a safer, more transparent and resilient supply chain. Through these efforts, we can safeguard public health, ensure public confidence in consumers, and confront the escalating intricacies of global food systems.
Keywords:
Global Supply Chain; Food Safety; Contamination Risks; Traceability; Regulatory Compliance
Full text article in PDF:
Copyright information:
Copyright © 2021 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0