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New food sources and production systems

Food safety perspectives and future trends

Year of publication 2024

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 1

Author FAO

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Infographic

Synopsis (short abstract) New food sources and production systems is a rapidly evolving and innovative sector that covers a range of foods, from plant-based food products, edible insects and seaweeds to products arising from technological innovations such as cell-based food production and precision fermentation. In addition to the nutritional and sustainability aspects of new foods, the associated food safety issues must be identified and addressed to guide the development of relevant standards and other food safety management measures needed to propel the sector forward and instil consumer trust. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) aims to help prepare its Members for the arrival of new foods on the market by providing sufficient information that the Members can leverage to suitably protect the health of consumers and implement fair practices in trade. Using foresight approaches, FAO has been monitoring this emerging sector and evaluating the opportunities and challenges this sector brings for agrifood systems, especially in the context of food safety. Based on this foresight work, three focus areas were selected for a Food Safety Foresight Technical Meeting held at the FAO headquarters in Rome from 13 to 17 November 2023. This infographic accompanies the meeting report, Plant-based food products, precision fermentation and 3D food printing: food safety perspectives and future trends. It visualizes the key food safety issues, nutritional characteristics, environmental aspects, and consumer perceptions related to plant-based food products that mimic animal-derived foods, precision fermentation and 3D food printing.

Language English

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    What is foresight? How does it help our agrifood systems and the global food safety arena? The world we live in is constantly evolving. Keeping pace with these changing global contexts—while continuing to deliver safe and nutritious food for the growing global population—rests on the ability of our agrifood systems to sufficiently anticipate, absorb, and adapt to the changes. In this regard, there are concerted efforts underway to transform agrifood systems to make them more resilient, sustainable, and equitable in the face of the economic, environmental, and social challenges of today and those that may arise.
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    Summary and conclusions
    2023
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    New food sources and production systems (NFPS) can play a critical role in the transformation of our agrifood systems by diversifying our current ways of producing food. Therefore, it is important that FAO monitors this space, keeps gathering relevant information and disseminates sound technical advice on NFPS, particularly in the context of the food safety aspects of NFPS. Based on this objective and aiming to also build on the previous work of FAO in the area, the Food Safety Foresight Programme of the Food Systems and Food Safety Division of FAO organized a technical meeting to discuss the food safety aspects of i) plant-based food products, ii) new applications of precision fermentation, and iii) 3D food printing. At the meeting foresight approaches were used to explore the possible future landscape of NFPS. Applying foresight approaches in agrifood systems, and particularly in food safety, will allow FAO and its members to prepare for potential emerging threats, disruptions, and challenges, while also being ready to optimize opportunities that may arise in the medium- to long-term future. This executive summary report summarizes the key conclusions of the meeting and outlines some data gaps and research needs pertaining to the three focus areas.
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    Addressing the safety of new food sources and production systems 2024
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    New food sources and production systems (NFPS) are garnering much attention, driven by international trade, changing consumer preferences,potential sustainability benefits, and innovations in climate-resilient food production systems. However, NFPS can introduce new challenges for food safety agencies and food manufacturers. Most food safety hazards linked to new foods have been identified in traditional foods. However, there can be some food safety challenges that are unique to new foods. New food ingredients, inputs, and processes can introduce unexpected contaminants. To realize the full potential of NFPS, there is a need for stakeholders from governments, the food industry, and the research community to collectively work to address and communicate the safety of NFPS products. This review outlines known food safety hazards associated with select NFPS products on the market, namely, plant-derived proteins, seaweeds, jellyfish, insects, microbial proteins, as well as foods derived from cell-based food production, precision fermentation, vertical farming, and 3D food printing. We identify common elements in emerging NFPS regulatory frameworks in various countries/regions. Furthermore, we highlight current efforts in harmonization of terminologies, use of recent scientific tools to fill in food safety knowledge gaps, and international multi-stakeholder collaborations to tackle safety challenges. Although there cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to the regulatory oversight for ensuring the safety of NFPS,there is a need to develop consensus-based structured protocols or workflows among stakeholders to facilitate comprehensive, robust, and internationally harmonized approaches. These efforts increase consumers’ confidence in the safety of new foods and contribute toward fair practices in the international trade of such foods.
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