Megatrends and emerging issues: Impacts on food safety
About this Resource:
Title: Megatrends and emerging issues: Impacts on food safety
Authors: Margaret Thorsen, Jeremy Hill, Jeffrey Farber, Frank Yiannas, Ivonne M C M Rietjens, Pierre Venter, Ryk Lues, Phil Bremer
Type: Journal Article
Journal: Comprehensive reviews in food science and food safety
Publication Date: March 2025
Overview:
Global megatrends such as climate change, sustainability pressures, urbanisation, demographic shifts, and geopolitical instability are reshaping the global food system. These forces do not only introduce new technical risks; they fundamentally challenge how organisations understand, prioritise, and manage food safety. As hazards become more complex and interconnected, strengthening food safety culture becomes critical to ensuring resilient prevention systems.
A proactive food safety culture supports dynamic risk assessment, science-based decision-making, transparent communication, and adaptive leadership. It also enables organisations to respond collectively to emerging threats such as antimicrobial resistance, supply chain disruption, and resource scarcity. In this evolving landscape, culture acts as the bridge between regulatory requirements and day-to-day practice. Building strong food safety cultures will be essential to safeguarding public health, maintaining trust, and ensuring secure food systems in an increasingly uncertain world.
Food Safety Culture Lab Authors:
Margaret Thorsen
Miranda Mirosa
Phil Bremer
Citation:
Thorsen, M., Hill, J., Farber, J., Yiannas, F., Rietjens, I. M. C. M., Venter, P., Lues, R., & Bremer, P. (2025). Megatrends and emerging issues: Impacts on food safety. Comprehensive reviews in food science and food safety, 24(3), e70170. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.70170