The Role of Science, Technology and Innovation in Ensuring Food Safety and Food Security

Dear Colleagues,

Food safety is an umbrella term that encompasses many facets of the handling, preparation and storage of food to prevent illness and injury. Included under the umbrella are chemical, microphysical and microbiological aspects of food safety.

Controlling contaminants such as allergens and major pathogens that contaminate food, which can be life-threatening for some highly sensitive people, is the priority of food safety or quality

The relative numbers of illnesses due to microorganisms makes microbiological quality the most important aspect of food safety.

However, food security encompasses another term, food security, which is defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) as "Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for active and healthy lives. Household food security is the application of this concept to the family level, with individuals within households as the focus of concern".

Food security is affected by climate change, dependence on fossil fuels, the loss of biodiversity and the use of food crops for biofuels, among many other factors. New, existing, and emerging technologies, in addition to science and innovation, can address the two dimensions of food safety and security.

In this context, genetic modification, methods to improve soil fertility and irrigation technologies can increase the availability of food. Post-harvest and agro-processing technologies can address food accessibility, biofortification can make food more nutritious, and climate-smart solutions anchored in science, technology and innovation can mitigate food instability. Therefore, ensuring agri-food safety and quality is a public health priority, and an essential step for achieving food security.

Food safety and quality management systems are the most important goals to achieve in order to protect the health and well-being of people worldwide.

As the role of science, technology and innovation is essential, this Special Issue requests papers demonstrating the important role that the integrated and multidisciplinary perspective can play in relation to food safety and food security issues with a vision of hygiene food, public health, environmental science, food control, food chemistry and/or other topics.

This Special Issue aims to collect innovative papers deriving from different and complementary expertises concerning the AgriFood sector. Herein, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Food safety and food security;
• Impact of food safety on One Health;
• Emerging technologies in ensuring food safety and food security;
• Food, nutrition and human health;
• Analytical methods applied to food analysis;
• Nutritional recommendations and dietary guidelines as strategies in the prevention and treatment of food-related diseases;
• Food choices for the prevention and treatment of diseases.

For this Special Issue, papers dealing with these topics are invited, especially those combining a high academic standard with a practical focus on providing practical information and solutions.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Francesca Serio
Dr. Giovanni Imbriani
Guest Editors

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