Food contamination remains a pressing and multidimensional public health challenge worldwide, with far-reaching implications for human well-being, food security, and sustainable development. The pathways of contamination are complex and often interconnected, arising from chemical residues (such as trace metals, pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [PAHs], and other persistent organic pollutants), biological hazards (including pathogenic microbes, parasites, and viruses), and physical and environmental pollutants (such as plastics, radionuclides, and other particulates). These contaminants can infiltrate the food chain through agricultural practices, industrial emissions, waste mismanagement, unsafe water supplies, and poor food-handling practices.Importantly, the distribution and severity of food contamination risks are not uniform. They are shaped by broader socioeconomic determinants, patterns of environmental exposure, and systemic inequities in healthcare and food safety infrastructure. Low-income populations, communities with limited access to safe water and sanitation, and those residing near industrial or agricultural zones disproportionately bear the burden of foodborne risks. These inequities transform food safety from being a purely scientific concern into a matter of social equity, environmental justice, and human rights.Risk assessment emerges as an indispensable tool for understanding and addressing the dangers posed by food contaminants. By systematically identifying hazards, characterizing their potential toxicity, quantifying exposure levels, and integrating these insights into risk characterization, food safety risk assessment provides a structured framework for evidence-based decision-making. Such approaches enable policymakers, regulators, and practitioners to prioritize interventions, allocate resources more effectively, and design context-specific protective measures. Crucially, embedding risk assessment into food safety governance helps ensure that mitigation strategies are equitable and inclusive, protecting the most vulnerable populations rather than exacerbating existing disparities.This Research Topic aims to compile multidisciplinary perspectives on the determinants, risks, and public health implications of food contamination. It seeks to investigate key determinants of food contamination across various ecological and socioeconomic contexts and examine how socioeconomic status and environmental exposure intersect to shape vulnerabilities to food contaminants. Additionally, the goal is to evaluate the immediate and long-term public health effects of exposure to contaminants and advance the development, application, and refinement of food safety risk assessment methodologies to inform effective regulation and governance. Highlighting pioneering strategies, technologies, and policies that reduce food safety risks and promote equitable outcomes is also central to this effort. Further, the Research Topic aims to foster interdisciplinary dialogue among experts in public health, environmental science, nutrition, agriculture, risk analysis, and social sciences to develop integrated, holistic solutions.The collection welcomes original research, reviews, perspectives, and policy analyses from researchers, practitioners, and policymakers that address the intersections of food safety, socioeconomic disparities, environmental exposure, and risk assessment. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:• Pathways of chemical contaminants (e.g., trace metals, pesticides, PAHs, persistent organic pollutants) within food systems.• Biological hazards and foodborne pathogens, including their epidemiology, ecology, and control.• Physical contaminants (e.g., plastics, nanomaterials, and emerging pollutants) and their implications for health.• Socioeconomic and demographic factors influencing differential exposure risks and health outcomes.• Community and occupational vulnerabilities to foodborne contaminants and hazards.• Environmental drivers of contamination, including industrial, agricultural, urban, and climate-related factors.• Risk assessment frameworks and models for evaluating the likelihood, severity, and distribution of foodborne risks, including comparative and multi-level analyses.• Health outcomes associated with both chronic and acute exposure to contaminants, including disease burden and economic costs.• Policy frameworks, governance structures, and regulatory interventions for food safety management at local, national, and global levels.• Innovative technologies, local knowledge systems, and sustainable practices for preventing, detecting, and mitigating contamination across the food chain.By situating food safety within the broader contexts of socioeconomic inequality, environmental change, and systematic risk assessment, this collection seeks to advance knowledge that not only enriches scientific understanding but also informs practical solutions and inclusive public health policies. It aspires to generate evidence that supports a more just, resilient, and sustainable food system for all
Food contamination remains a pressing and multidimensional public health challenge worldwide, with far-reaching implications for human well-being, food security, and sustainable development. The pathways of contamination are complex and often interconnected, arising from chemical residues (such as trace metals, pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [PAHs], and other persistent organic pollutants), biological hazards (including pathogenic microbes, parasites, and viruses), and physical and environmental pollutants (such as plastics, radionuclides, and other particulates). These contaminants can infiltrate the food chain through agricultural practices, industrial emissions, waste mismanagement, unsafe water supplies, and poor food-handling practices.Importantly, the distribution and severity of food contamination risks are not uniform. They are shaped by broader socioeconomic determinants, patterns of environmental exposure, and systemic inequities in healthcare and food safety infrastructure. Low-income populations, communities with limited access to safe water and sanitation, and those residing near industrial or agricultural zones disproportionately bear the burden of foodborne risks. These inequities transform food safety from being a purely scientific concern into a matter of social equity, environmental justice, and human rights.Risk assessment emerges as an indispensable tool for understanding and addressing the dangers posed by food contaminants. By systematically identifying hazards, characterizing their potential toxicity, quantifying exposure levels, and integrating these insights into risk characterization, food safety risk assessment provides a structured framework for evidence-based decision-making. Such approaches enable policymakers, regulators, and practitioners to prioritize interventions, allocate resources more effectively, and design context-specific protective measures. Crucially, embedding risk assessment into food safety governance helps ensure that mitigation strategies are equitable and inclusive, protecting the most vulnerable populations rather than exacerbating existing disparities.This Research Topic aims to compile multidisciplinary perspectives on the determinants, risks, and public health implications of food contamination. It seeks to investigate key determinants of food contamination across various ecological and socioeconomic contexts and examine how socioeconomic status and environmental exposure intersect to shape vulnerabilities to food contaminants. Additionally, the goal is to evaluate the immediate and long-term public health effects of exposure to contaminants and advance the development, application, and refinement of food safety risk assessment methodologies to inform effective regulation and governance. Highlighting pioneering strategies, technologies, and policies that reduce food safety risks and promote equitable outcomes is also central to this effort. Further, the Research Topic aims to foster interdisciplinary dialogue among experts in public health, environmental science, nutrition, agriculture, risk analysis, and social sciences to develop integrated, holistic solutions.The collection welcomes original research, reviews, perspectives, and policy analyses from researchers, practitioners, and policymakers that address the intersections of food safety, socioeconomic disparities, environmental exposure, and risk assessment. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:• Pathways of chemical contaminants (e.g., trace metals, pesticides, PAHs, persistent organic pollutants) within food systems.• Biological hazards and foodborne pathogens, including their epidemiology, ecology, and control.• Physical contaminants (e.g., plastics, nanomaterials, and emerging pollutants) and their implications for health.• Socioeconomic and demographic factors influencing differential exposure risks and health outcomes.• Community and occupational vulnerabilities to foodborne contaminants and hazards.• Environmental drivers of contamination, including industrial, agricultural, urban, and climate-related factors.• Risk assessment frameworks and models for evaluating the likelihood, severity, and distribution of foodborne risks, including comparative and multi-level analyses.• Health outcomes associated with both chronic and acute exposure to contaminants, including disease burden and economic costs.• Policy frameworks, governance structures, and regulatory interventions for food safety management at local, national, and global levels.• Innovative technologies, local knowledge systems, and sustainable practices for preventing, detecting, and mitigating contamination across the food chain.By situating food safety within the broader contexts of socioeconomic inequality, environmental change, and systematic risk assessment, this collection seeks to advance knowledge that not only enriches scientific understanding but also informs practical solutions and inclusive public health policies. It aspires to generate evidence that supports a more just, resilient, and sustainable food system for all