Assuring Food Safety in Rapidly Developing Food Systems

Some of the effective ways to improve food safety issues in food systems are the adoption of the latest technologies, such as Whole Genome Sequencing, Blockchain technology, and the use of drones.

FREMONT, CA: Food safety has become increasingly important in developing countries over the past decade. Worldwide, the burden of illness from unsafe food is comparable to that caused by malaria and tuberculosis, according to WHO estimates for 2023. In addition, the dietary transition and associated market transformation will likely increase food safety risks. In rapidly growing economies, food safety incentives and policies may improve food system performance by addressing questions beyond whether food safety standards represent export barriers.

In developing countries, food safety impacts public health and market performance:

WHO/FERG published their 2015 estimates of the global burden of foodborne illness based on over a decade of research. Based on the 2010 base year, foodborne illnesses (FBI) caused by 31 of the most important hazards caused 420,000 deaths and 600 million illnesses. In terms of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), the burden of 33 million is roughly equivalent to the global burden of tuberculosis (40 million DALYs) and malaria (66 million DALYs). The process of updating these estimates was announced in 2021, and it is expected to be completed by 2025.

Animal source foods (ASF) have been examined in more recent analyses using WHO Foodborne Disease Burden Epidemiology Reference Group (FERG) estimates. The nutritional value of these foods, the expected increase in consumption of LMICs, and the fact that they are a source of many zoonoses make them of particular interest. According to Li et al., 2019, ASF accounts for approximately 35 percent of the global burden of the FBI.

Incentives and food safety management can be improved with new technologies:

Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) and blockchain technologies have the potential to directly address the food safety information problem. Both are currently used in a few LMICs, but they are rapidly evolving, so greater adoption may be expected in the future. In the future, both may be adapted for greater application in LMICs, attracting both public and private investments.

Public and private sectors use WGS to identify and track specific foodborne pathogens, identify food fraud, and track the source and emergence of AMR through the food supply chain. At least ten high-income countries have adopted WGS, and its use in low- and middle-income countries is fostered by the CDC's PulseNet International and FAO's informal sharing of expertise. WGS data is also being shared on global platforms to identify and trace emerging pathogens more easily. Using WGS testing, investigators in South Africa were able to trace the outbreak to a specific plant, which resulted in a targeted product recall. The cost of bioinformatics is the biggest barrier to wider adoption in LMICs.