Food Policy, Strategy and Safety in the Middle East

Dear Colleagues,

The Middle East encompasses countries characterized by distinct politico-economic dynamics that influence food systems differently across the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. For most, the viability of the food systems to sustain the growing populations while ensuring a safe food supply is threatened by the overuse of groundwater, now compounded by the effects of climate change. Additionally, governmental strategies prioritizing investments in research, proactive systems, and technological solutions play a crucial role. At the same time, effective communication and collaboration across sectors and institutionalization of food governance are vital leadership components in this context, especially regarding shared limited water resources. Nevertheless, the factors shaping the region’s ability to formulate and ensure the effective execution of relevant policies are subject to significant variations among the countries to tackle critical issues such as food security, foodborne disease prevention, water scarcity, and trade enhancement. The outcomes of these efforts hold immense significance for the social and health well-being of future generations.  

Therefore, this Special Issue on “Food Policy, Strategy, and Safety in the Middle East” aims to present a comprehensive outlook on these crucial areas by gathering insights into current challenges, transformations in food systems, and the development or urgent implementation of policies to enhance food safety and security, and a glance into future directions.

We invite you to submit your latest research works on subjects, including, but not limited to, the following keywords:

• Food safety
• Climate change
• Food security
• Food systems
• Food safety governance
• Food trade
• Crop irrigation

Prof. Dr. Ewen C. D. Todd
Dr. Dima Faour-Klingbeil
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• food safety culture
• food contaminants
• food safety practices
• food microbiology
• food safety management
• risk assessment; water reuse
• food safety governance
• food safety regulations
• water reuse