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The debate surrounding the Farm to Fork Strategy and the European Green Deal with the new sustainability standards proposed by the European Commission to achieve a more sustainable food system and climate-neutral continent by 2050 is increasing concerns and questions among different stakeholders along the food chain and third countries that will be impacted by these measures, if adopted. This analysis aims to expand the debate studying the different perspectives on the relationship food security/sustainability of the European Union and the African Union through the framing of the documents produced by these institutions since 2007. The results show differences in the approach about this relationship seen by the European Union as a long-term goal that looks at the protection of the environment and natural resources while the production changes to be more resilient to external shocks and market fluctuations. Meanwhile, the African Union uses a short-term approach due to the urgency felt by the continental unique environment that makes production development and adapting a priority over environmental issues. These differences need to be targeted to avoid current and future divergences that could impact on the application of the aforementioned standards and to ensure food for all without compromising the future of our ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dairy industry's contribution to global warming has been thoroughly examined. However, it is important to raise public awareness of emission hotspots and the possibility of mitigation in dairy supply chains. This study assessed the Carbon Footprint (CF) of five dairy products through a cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Assessment approach and evaluated the carbon sink potential of some practices. The functional units were 1 kg of fresh raw milk, yogurt, fresh cheese, mozzarella cheese, and aged cheese. The data collected were related to an extensive dairy farm, a cheese-factory, two markets, a delivery service, and a court of consumers. The CFs were 4.39, 5.10, 9.82, 8.40, and 15.34 kg CO2 eq. for fresh raw milk, yogurt, mozzarella cheese, fresh cheese, and aged cheese, respectively. The hotspots of the dairy supply chain considered herein refer to farm activities and energy consumption, whereas conservative agriculture practices and rotational grazing sequestered 1.60 ± 0.80 kg CO2 eq. per kg of dairy product consumed. The CF was reduced by 0.14 kg CO2 eq. for 1 kg of dairy product delivered at home compared to direct purchasing at a market. The carbon sink capacity of dairy farms appeared as a primary mean for mitigating climate change in the dairy supply chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human gut microbiota is the microbial community that, through the constant bidirectional communication with its host, plays the critical role of maintaining the state of eubiosis and health balance, contributing to food digestion, detoxification, and proper endocrine, neurological, immunological and potentially reproductive health. To this extent, gut microbiota is called the 'second brain' as well as the 'second liver'. Xenobiotics, including environmental pollutants, are widely spread in the environment and easily accessible in food, cosmetics, personal care products, drugs and medicinal products. Thus, the gut microbiota can be exposed to these xenobiotics, which in turn might alter its composition and metabolism that can trigger dysbiosis, and they seem associated with disorders and diseases in the host. A specific group of xenobiotics, called endocrine‐disrupting chemicals, is particularly important due to relevant adverse health effects. A considerable challenge in risk assessment is the combined exposure to xenobiotics, for which the integrated approaches, including the One Health concept, are still under development. Nevertheless, recent research advancements focus on molecular data in the search for elucidating crucial microbiome biomarkers, associated with physiopathology and specific dysfunctions triggered by xenobiotic exposure. In this context, the application of meta‐omics and integration of genomics, metagenomics, metabolomics, metatranscriptomics, proteomics and multidisciplinary approaches are particularly important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human gut microbiota is the microbial community that, through the constant bidirectional communication with its host, plays the critical role of maintaining the state of eubiosis and health balance, contributing to food digestion, detoxification, and proper endocrine, neurological, immunological and potentially reproductive health. To this extent, gut microbiota is called the 'second brain' as well as the 'second liver'. Xenobiotics, including environmental pollutants, are widely spread in the environment and easily accessible in food, cosmetics, personal care products, drugs and medicinal products. Thus, the gut microbiota can be exposed to these xenobiotics, which in turn might alter its composition and metabolism that can trigger dysbiosis, and they seem associated with disorders and diseases in the host. A specific group of xenobiotics, called endocrine‐disrupting chemicals, is particularly important due to relevant adverse health effects. A considerable challenge in risk assessment is the combined exposure to xenobiotics, for which the integrated approaches, including the One Health concept, are still under development. Nevertheless, recent research advancements focus on molecular data in the search for elucidating crucial microbiome biomarkers, associated with physiopathology and specific dysfunctions triggered by xenobiotic exposure. In this context, the application of meta‐omics and integration of genomics, metagenomics, metabolomics, metatranscriptomics, proteomics and multidisciplinary approaches are particularly important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is aimed at proposing a model to assess the economic private costs for farms deriving from the implementation of some of the environmental targets set by the European Farm to Fork strategy and the objective of a carbon-neutral agricultural sector, by also evaluating the synergies and trade-offs between environmental objectives. An agro-economic supply model, based on mathematical programming and microdata from the Farm Accountancy Data Network, is used. The model is applied to Italian agriculture as a case study. Results show losses in added value, higher level of resource efficiency and synergies among different targets. Policy implications include exploiting the synergies and accompanying the transition with measures aimed at compensating the most impacted sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keeping food safe is a challenge that needs continuous surveillance for the sake of consumers' health. The main issue when a food‐borne pathogen outbreak occurs is represented by the identification of the source(s) of contamination. Delivering this information in a timely manner helps to control the problem, with positive outcomes for everyone, especially for the consumers, whose health is in this way preserved, and for the stakeholders involved in food production and distribution, who could face enormous economic losses if recalls or legal issues occur. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) is a tool recently implemented for the characterisation of isolates and the study of outbreaks because of its higher efficiency and faster results, when compared to traditional typing methods. Lower sequencing costs and the development of many bioinformatic tools helped its spread, and much more attention has been given to its use for outbreak investigation. It is important to reach a certain level of standardisation, though, for ensuring result reproducibility and interoperability. Moreover, nowadays it is possible, if not mandatory for Open Science Practices, to share WGS data in publicly available databases, where raw reads, assembled genomes and their corresponding metadata can be easily found and downloaded. The scope of this Fellowship was to provide the Fellow all the training necessary for successfully integrating genomics to surveillance and risk assessment of food‐borne pathogens from farm to fork. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leafy green vegetables have increasingly been reported as a reservoir of multidrug-resistant pathogenic Enterobacteriaceae, with Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli frequently implicated in disease outbreaks worldwide. This study examined the presence and characteristics of antibiotic resistance, diarrheagenic virulence genes, and phylogenetic groupings of E. coli isolates (n = 51) from commercially produced lettuce and spinach from farms, through processing, and at the point of sale. Multidrug resistance was observed in 33 (64.7%) of the 51 E. coli isolates, with 35.7% (10 of 28) being generic and 100% (23 of 23) being extended-spectrum β-lactamase/AmpC producing. Resistance of E. coli isolates was observed against neomycin (51 of 51, 100%), ampicillin (36 of 51, 70.6%), amoxicillin (35 of 51, 68.6%), tetracycline (23 of 51, 45%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (22 of 51, 43%), chloramphenicol (13 of 51, 25.5%), Augmentin (6 of 51, 11.8%), and gentamicin (4 of 51, 7.8%), with 100% (51 of 51) susceptibility to imipenem. Virulence gene eae was detected in two E. coli isolates from irrigation water sources only, whereas none of the other virulence genes for which we tested were detected. Most of the E. coli strains belonged to phylogenetic group B2 (25.5%; n=13), B1 (19.6%; n = 10), and A (17.6%; n = 9), with D (5.9%; n = 3) less distributed. Although diarrheagenic E. coli was not detected, antibiotic resistance in E. coli prevalent in the supply chain was evident. In addition, a clear link between E. coli isolates from irrigation water sources and leafy green vegetables through DNA fingerprinting was established, indicating the potential transfer of E. coli from irrigation water to minimally processed leafy green vegetables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the publication of the European Green Deal (EGD) in December 2019, the European Union (EU) has recognised a link between environmental and social challenges and the need to tackle them together. A body of literature publishing under the umbrella concept of sustainable welfare and the term eco-social policies has acknowledged the environmental and social nexus and has been characterised by six prominent eco-social aspects namely, the integration between environmental and social policy goals, their link with economic growth, just transition, redistribution and compensation, citizens’ participation, and the state’s role. However, an in-depth analysis of the eco-social aspects contained in recent European policy documents that can be traced back to the eco-social literature is missing. To address this gap, this article focuses on two policy documents considered at the heart of the European ambition of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, namely the EGD Communication and the Farm to Fork (F2F) Strategy. The article applies a document content analysis of these two documents and uses the six eco-social aspects as a heuristic to analyse and provide descriptive examples of the EGD and the F2F. The content analyses of these documents reveal several elements that advance the understanding of recent EU policies from an eco-social perspective. The study provides knowledge of envisaged compensatory and redistributive measures to the groups and entities affected by the socio-ecological transition and initiatives to enhance a global just transition. Both documents also recognise the primary role of citizens in driving the transition, complementing ongoing eco-social research on participatory processes. The EGD and the F2F reveal also some distinctions in the way the eco-social literature discusses states’ role in eco-social policy-making, the relationship between environmental and social policies and economic growth and intergenerational justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production and use of mineral fertilizers lead to severe environmental impacts, therefore initiatives such as the European Green Deal promote organic farming and nutrient circularity. However, many organic fertilizers (those containing organic carbon and nutrients of exclusively biological origin) face constraints due to resource availability, and it is paramount to understand their environmental impacts to prevent unforeseen effects. This study employed a consequential life cycle assessment (LCA) to compare the environmental impact of mineral fertilizer to three types of organic fertilizers: animal-, plant-, and innovative microbe-based, considering market constraints and marginal suppliers. Organic fertilizers were complemented with mineral products to yield NPK compound fertilizers containing 1 t of nitrogen, 0.44 t of phosphorus, and 0.83 t of potassium (multi-substance functional unit). The findings reveal that 9 out of the 17 studied organic fertilizers are constained products, and that their demand is met through the supply of mineral fertilizers, soybean meal, and maize or barley grain. Consequently, for the transition to a circular and organic agrifood system, the focus should shift toward untapped resources like microbial fertilizers sourced from food and beverage industry wastewater, and sewage sludge. Constrained markets vary with time and geographical location, emphasizing the importance of context-specific decision-making. The impact of mineral fertilizers is relatively low across impact categories, but the gap between them and energy-intensive organic fertilizers narrows in an industrial symbiosis scenario where waste heat is available. An additional assessment of soil organic carbon estimated the contribution of organic fertilizers to the "4 per 1000" initiative's goal for soil carbon storage. Organic fertilizer application alone only achieves this goal in one scenario (rapeseed meal), but combining it with other management practices like crop rotation offers a promising strategy. The scenario that included fertilizer transport showed the potential for reduced environmental impacts by applying locally available by-products as organic fertilizer instead of imported mineral fertilizers. Overall, the results call for caution when transitioning from mineral to organic fertilizers as their availability and environmental impact are not self-evident. [Display omitted] • A methodology is developed to integrate N, P, and K ratios in one functional unit. • 9 out of 17 organic fertilizers are classified as constrained by-products. • Decision-makers should focus on unconstrained fertilizers, like microbial biomass. • Industrial symbiosis can reduce organic fertilizers' environmental impact. • Ecoinvent's classification of constrained products must be critically evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population growth, international market expansion, and climate change have caused changes in agricultural practices, including increased use of phytosanitary products to control pests and diseases in food production. The European Union aims to achieve sustainable and high-quality food, with the priority of reducing pesticide use. Determining the content of these substances in food is crucial to ensure consumers are not excessively exposed to them. Based on that, in this study, 174 pesticides, including acaricides, fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, nematicides, plant growth regulators, among others, were analysed in 152 wine samples commercialised in the Canary Islands (111 white wine and 41 red wine samples) between 2017 and 2019, including local wines and imported from other locations of Spain. For this purpose, the QuEChERS method combined with liquid chromatography and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry were used. The methodology was successfully validated in terms linearity (R2 ≥ 0.9901), trueness (recovery of 46–133%), precision (relative standard deviation < 20%) and sensitivity (complies with maximum residue limits). A wide variety of pesticides were found, highlighting the presence of fungicides as expected, since these substances are widely used in the treatment of wine grapes against fungi diseases. Likewise, a low rate of exceedances of the maximum residue levels was found. Finally, a non-cumulative toxicological study was carried out based on the Margin of Safety Approach, using a conservative screening. Results shown maximum values of 7.4% of the health-based guidance values, indicating that the consumption of Spanish wines marketed in the Canary Islands is safe in the short and long term. • QuEChERS combined with UHPLC-MS and GC-MS/MS was applied for pesticide analysis. • The methodologies were validated for the determination of 174 pesticides in wines. • Samples (n = 152) from the Canary Islands and other Spanish regions were compared. • A total of 8 violations of the MRLs were found, all from Canarian samples. • From a toxicological point of view, the consumption of these wines is of low-risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union, in effect since January 2023, seeks to differentiate products on quality, provide greater transparency on food origin, and on the transactions and the actors involved in the supply chain. At the same time, in Spain, the adoption of new technologies for the digitization of the agri-food sector has been proposed as a solution to address structural issues such as lack of competitiveness and innovation. In fact, systems using blockchain-related technologies for food control and traceability have seen great progress in recent years and, currently, the use of blockchain in supply chain management is almost doubling year on year. In this context, this paper investigates the level of development of blockchain technology in the agri-food sector in Spain and its applications for certifying food production conditions within the supply chain, and how it is supported by public policies. It identifies several challenges that need to be addressed for a widespread adoption could take place, such as data recorded on the blockchain, lack of standards, limited scope of projects, and integration of data capture automatically or with other technologies like RFID and AI. The document proposes to reorient public development policies to address these challenges, such as reusing data from, already in place, European data collections for production control and food traceability, educating users and stakeholders about the use of blockchain technology, and fostering legal and technical provisions which ensure system transparency to facilitate a successful implementation of blockchain. • The level of development of blockchain technology in the agri-food sector in Spain. • Support of blockchain technology by public policies in Spain. • Collection of Spanish blockchain projects aimed at certifying production conditions. • Management of the data recorded in the blockchain system. • The relevance of the reuse of data from official records for the implementation of blockchain technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The numerous studies conducted so far on the issue of patulin contamination have focused mainly on aspects like growth of Penicillium expansum, patulin production under different conditions and the influence of processing on the patulin concentration in apple juice. The purpose of the present study was to collect the necessary information and to develop a quantitative risk assessment model (QRAM) in order to evaluate different strategies to reduce patulin contamination. For apple juice (AJ) production 3 types of apples are considered, namely fresh apples, apples stored under cold air (short term storage) and apples stored under controlled atmosphere (CA) (long term storage). The QRAM described the complete chain from the picking of apples until storage of produced AJ. In comparison to a traditional chemical analysis, the QRAM was found accurate in predicting the concentration of patulin in cloudy and clear AJs commercialised in Belgium. Simulation of the model demonstrated that the use of apples stored under CA contributes to a large extent to the patulin contamination of AJ. Since apples stored in CA are used from more or less January onwards, AJ with high patulin concentration can be produced from January onwards. It would be useful in this respect to take this into account when sampling plans are made by apple juice producers in the framework of their HACCP-system and by governments and control agencies when monitoring programmes are elaborated. The duration of deck storage between the delivery at the apple juice producer (AJP) and the processing of the apples had a large influence on the patulin concentration, and this effect was more pronounced for apples stored under controlled atmosphere compared to apples stored under cold air. The duration of the deck storage should therefore be considered as a Critical Control Point (CCP) within HACCP-systems. Also the application of a sorting step was evaluated to be efficient to reduce the high patulin concentration in AJ. Therefore, a combination of the 2 most effective measures (namely sorting out apples with an infection lesion larger than 10cm2 and a reduction of the volume of CA apples) was tested and resulted in a reduction to levels below 25μg/kg in 99.7 to 99.9% of the clear and cloudy apple juices, respectively. It is therefore advisable to include a sorting step prior to processing, when apples stored in CA are used. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Quality assurance systems are required at each step in the food production chain to ensure safety of food and to show compliance with regulatory and customer requirements. This is a matter affecting food companies too as part of the business activity and a challenge since they are the main beneficiary, i.e. economically, when it offers a safe product and the worst affected otherwise. Thus, failures in food safety endanger not only consumers’ health but also put at risk the company’s profitability. This paper introduces the fundamentals and an example of application of the use of quantitative risk assessment (QRA) to estimate the risk to consumers’ health and the induced company’s economic losses, which can be of great support for the risk-informed decision-making in the food processing context. The information provided by the QRA could be used in this food industry context to prioritize the safety management measures needed according to real importance of the main hazards identified for a particular food processing, which simultaneously would better protect the consumer’s health and be cost effective and efficient for the food industry. The example of application of this QRA on Listeria monocytogenes in raw fish shows that the risk for consumers’ health imposed by the product of this company ranges normal values as compared with the survey in FDA/USDA and the risk for the company due to induced economic losses stays low in average, although an upper bound for such losses over a year period has been found significant due to both direct and indirect costs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Introducing smart and sustainable tools for climate change adaptation and mitigation is a major need to support agriculture's productivity potential. We assessed the effects of the processed gypsum seed dressing SOP® COCUS MAIZE+ (SCM), combined with a gradient of N fertilization rates (i.e., 0%, 70% equal to 160 kg N ha−1, and 100% equal to 230 kg N ha−1) in maize (Zea mays L.), on: (i) grain yield, (ii) root length density (RLD) and diameter class length (DCL), (iii) biodiversity of soil bacteria and fungi, and (iv) Greenhouse Gases (GHGs, i.e., N2O, CO2, and CH4) emission. Grain yield increased with SCM by 1 Mg ha−1 (+8%). The same occurred for overall RLD (+12%) and DCL of very fine, fine, and medium root classes. At anthesis, soil microbial biodiversity was not affected by treatments, suggesting earlier plant-rhizosphere interactions. Soil GHGs showed that (i) the main driver of N losses as N2O is the N-fertilization level, and (ii) decreasing N-fertilization in maize from 100% to 70% decreased N2O emissions by 509 mg N-N2O m−2 y−1. Since maize grain yield under SCM with 70% N-fertilization was similar to that under Control with 100% N-fertilization, we concluded that under our experimental conditions SCM may be used for reducing N input (−30%) and N2O emissions (−23%), while contemporarily maintaining maize yield. Hence, SCM can be considered an available tool to improve agriculture's alignment to the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and to comply with Europe's Farm to Fork strategy for reducing N-fertilizer inputs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A crucial factor that determines the development of production and consumption markets for biofuels is the choice of raw materials that can ensure the highest possible production efficiency, the lowest cost and the smallest emission of harmful substances to the atmosphere during all production stages. Considerations underlying the development of biofuel production have been discussed as well as the theoretical mechanisms linking the generation of biofuels to the level of production and the variability of prices of agricultural raw products. The aim of this study has been to identify the scale at which energy raw materials originating from agriculture are used for liquid biofuels production and to explore their impact on food security. The study used public statistical data (OECD-FAO and IndexMundi). The time span of the analysis was from 2005 to 2018. First-generation biofuels based on food raw materials (cereal grains, root crops, sugarcane and vegetable oils) are becoming increasingly competitive with food production recent years have been a period of the dynamic growth in production of liquid biofuels. In 2018, the global production of these substances reached 167.9 billion litres (bioethanol and biodiesel together), consuming 16.1% of maize grain, 1.7% of wheat grain, 3.3% of grain of other feed grains and 13.5% of vegetable oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]