Strategies to mitigate food safety risk while minimizing environmental impacts in the era of climate change

Background: Food value chains are linked to environmental issues such as greenhouse gas emissions, which are responsible for climate change. The presence of chemical and microbial hazards along food value chains is expected to be influenced by the future effects of climate change. This challenge creates a need to examine environmentally sustainable strategies to address food safety risks. The use of methodologies and/or tools that contribute both to reducing food safety risk under climate change conditions and to reducing the contribution to climate change of food value chains is necessary. Scope and approach: To face this upcoming and complex challenge, this study presents the tools to mitigate food safety risk on one hand and to evaluate the environmental performance of food value chains on the other. Successful case studies in different fields in which both methodologies were integrated are analyzed in detail finally to suggest strategies to mitigate food safety risks while minimizing environmental impacts in the food value chain. Key findings and conclusions: Food value chains can use both risk assessment and life cycle assessment to limit environmental impact and food safety risks. The use of these two tools can be through the integration of the methods or by a combination of results. However, this should be carried out with caution due to differences within their frameworks.

Automated summary

This study presents tools to mitigate food safety risk and evaluate the environmental performance of food value chains. Successful case studies are analyzed to suggest strategies to mitigate food safety risks while minimizing environmental impacts in the food value chain.