The global population is expected to reach 9,7 billion in 2050. To meet the increasing demand for food, overall food production will need to be raised by about 70% above 2009 levels.
New food sources imply those that have not been widely consumed, either because their consumption has been historically restricted to certain regions in the world, or because they have recently emerged in the global retail space thanks to technological innovations.
Plant-based alternatives
The growing trend in adopting plant-based diets is propelling advancements in the plant-based-alternatives industry. However, from a public health perspective, there has been limited research on the nutritional aspects of plant-based alternatives.
Food safety implications
Contamination of plant-based food products with pathogens can occur through contact with sources like animal manure or contaminated water. Various proteins found in plant-based beverages show differences in solubility and reaction to heat, creating additional hurdles with regard to options available to maintain adequate food safety standards.
At temperatures traditionally used to destroy harmful pathogens and reduce micro-organisms associated with spoilage in animal-based products, many plant proteins denature.
There are also many known mycotoxins that can be present in food derived from plants. Mycotoxins present in the raw ingredients – grains (oat, rice), nuts (almond, walnut), legumes (soya bean) – may get carried over to end products like plant-based beverages.
Agriculturally important plants can absorb and accumulate heavy metals from soil, which can lead to contamination of the end products with such chemical hazards. In addition, concentrations of potentially toxic rare earth elements like thallium and tellurium are increasing in our environment due to their applications in agriculture and various industries.
These elements have also been detected in several plant-based foods (legumes, cereals and vegetables, among others), necessitating the need for hazard evaluation and risk assessment.
Way forward
The food-safety considerations for plant-based alternatives to animal-derived products can be quite different from the ones necessary to produce animal-based products, and hence any transition will require a careful retooling for food-safety management processes.
The presence of mycotoxins and other chemical hazards necessitates putting in place proper controls to reduce exposure to chemical contaminants through this new food source.
As plant-based diets expand, more awareness about introducing allergens from foods not commonly consumed before is needed prior to entering our diets. While most plant-based alternatives contain ingredients that have been previously approved for human consumption, ambiguities around the nomenclature of plant-based alternatives can create obstacles in developing guidelines relevant for the labelling of plant-based foods.
Seaweeds
Seaweeds are macroscopic, photosynthetic plant-like organisms that fall under three broad groups based on their pigmentation: brown (Phaeophyta), red (Rhodophyta) and green (Chlorophyta) algae. While the majority of brown and red seaweeds are strictly marine, the green seaweeds are mainly found in freshwater environments.
Two key factors are driving the growing interest in seaweed utilisation: heightened attention to sources of food that are nutritious as well as sustainable; and versatility in terms of applications of seaweeds in several industries, such as pharmaceuticals and cosmetics in addition to food and animal feed.
Food safety implications
Microbial contamination can occur during growth, cultivation, harvesting, processing and handling, and storage of seaweed. While studies have highlighted that coastal seaweeds can act as reservoirs for Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus populations, the bacterial species are relatively sensitive to heating and drying processes, and therefore may not survive the food-processing systems.
However, because seaweed can be consumed raw, microbial risks from such marine food-borne pathogens remain pertinent. Potential risks arising from spore-forming pathogens (Clostridium spp and Bacillus spp) are yet to be fully explored.
Outbreaks of food-borne diseases from seaweed can occur if aquaculture farms lack appropriate measures to maintain hygiene and sanitation, such as inadequate facilities for bathrooms and handwashing for employees. Location of farms is also important, for instance, if farms are in the vicinity of wildlife refuges.
Norovirus outbreaks have been linked to seaweed consumption in several countries. Seaweeds can bioaccumulate high levels of heavy metals like arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury from the aquatic environment.
Consumers may be exposed to heavy metals present in seaweed either through direct consumption or indirectly through the food chain, for instance, by consuming fish that bioaccumulates the metals by feeding on seaweed.
Agrochemicals such as pesticides and herbicides can enter the marine environment through run-offs from agricultural fields. Monitoring measures will help to establish if these chemicals can enter the food chain through coastal seaweed aquaculture farms.
Physical hazards such as small pebbles and pieces of shells might be present with harvested seaweeds. Processing and packaging of seaweed may introduce other hazards like metal pieces or glass. Micro- and nanoplastics can attach to seaweeds in the aquatic environment, which can then pose potential physical contamination issues down the food chain.
Way forward
Without thorough assessment of the food-safety risks of seaweeds, developing laws and regulations will be difficult. While there is a global trade of seaweeds, there are no Codex standards or guidelines that specifically address food-safety concerns in this food source.
Upscaling of seaweed production to meet market demand is a challenge for the sector.
Long-term data on the environmental impacts of seaweed cultivation at an industrial scale are still lacking. Balancing potential benefits of seaweed production with environmental risks to ensure that the carrying capacities of the receiving environments are not exceeded will be needed.
Cell-cultured food
There is increasing consumer demand for animal-based food products worldwide. However, the intensification of animal production may contrast with sustainability objectives, resulting in trade-offs between various environmental aspects, food security and animal welfare. New technology presents a potential alternative: the production of land and aquatic animals without requiring large-scale farming and slaughtering.
Food safety implications
The desired starting cell lines are often sourced from a live or slaughtered animal of choice, followed by cell isolation. A common alternative is to use induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), reprogrammed adult cells that can differentiate into any type of cells.
Although iPSCs have been well studied in mice since their discovery, the differentiation protocols for various livestock animal cells such as chicken remain elusive. The chance of infectious zoonotic and food-borne disease occurrence is considerably reduced when compared with conventional livestock production, but major considerations must be given to the use of animal serum in the culture media, which may introduce pathogens including viruses, bacteria, parasites and prions. Cell-based food production is also currently very expensive.
Way forward
While there are many existing tools that can be useful for food-safety assessment, additional steps for safety assessment might be required for some particularly novel processes or products.
Therefore, with cell-based food products, it is important to focus on the significant differences from existing foods so that effective methodologies to assess the safety of all elements can be established. Many countries have not yet experienced an urgent need to conduct food safety assessments of cell-based food products.
However, preparedness is key; and it is important for the competent authorities to start dialogues with various stakeholders including consumers, private sector, civil society, partner agencies and policymakers. Experts have emphasised the importance of securing inclusiveness and transparency, while preparing for necessary regulatory actions.
The views expressed in our weekly opinion piece do not necessarily reflect those of Farmer’s Weekly.
This is an edited excerpt from a Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations report titled ‘Thinking about the future of food safety: A foresight report’.
