Research on Food Chemical Safety: 2nd Edition

Dear Colleagues,

The chemical safety of foods remains a core prerequisite for protecting public health and sustaining trust in an increasingly complex, globalised food supply. Chemical hazards may arise from natural toxins, environmental contaminants, agrochemical residues, processing- and packaging-induced contaminants, ingredients and additives, as well as from their concurrent occurrence as complex mixtures throughout the food chain. As food systems evolve towards higher levels of processing, convenience, and internationalisation, understanding not only single-chemical risks but also cumulative and aggregate exposure to multiple substances has become essential for science-based decision making in the food industry.

This Special Issue, “Research on Food Chemical Safety: 2nd Edition”, builds upon the success of the first edition and aims to further advance the state of the art in the detection, characterisation, risk assessment and management of chemical hazards in foods. This second edition places particular emphasis on realistic exposure scenarios and co-occurring contaminants. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the occurrence, formation and mitigation of pesticide residues, veterinary drugs, heavy metals, mycotoxins, processing contaminants, food contact materials and emerging contaminants. We especially encourage contributions addressing mixture toxicity and cumulative risk assessment—such as whole-mixture and component-based approaches, common assessment groups and metrics for combined exposure and risk—together with their toxicokinetic and toxicodynamic underpinnings.

Methodological papers on novel analytical and data-driven tools are highly welcome, including high-resolution mass spectrometry workflows, biosensors, non-target and suspect screening, as well as chemometric and machine-learning approaches for exposure modelling, pattern recognition and real-time compliance prediction. Studies integrating exposure assessment, hazard characterisation and risk characterisation with risk–benefit analysis, sustainability considerations and life-cycle thinking are also within the scope of this Special Issue.

Recognising that chemical safety is inseparable from the way the food industry is directed and managed, we invite multidisciplinary work that links toxicology and analytical chemistry with strategic management, quality and safety management systems, supply chain and procurement policies, regulatory affairs, innovation management, marketing, and risk communication. Contributions may explore, for example, how governance models, digitalisation, and business intelligence tools support chemical risk management; how organisations integrate chemical safety into corporate strategy and operational planning; or how effective communication and leadership foster a culture of safety across the value chain.

By bringing together cutting-edge research and practice-oriented perspectives, this Special Issue seeks to advance our collective understanding of food chemical safety, from molecules and methods to management and markets. We invite original research articles, reviews, case studies and perspectives that contribute to safer, high-quality and sustainable food products while minimising chemical risks for consumers in an increasingly interconnected world.

Dr. Efrén Pérez Santín
Dr. José Ignacio López Sánchez
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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.

• chemical contaminants
• food chemical safety
• food safety
• risk assessment
• cumulative risk assessment
• mixture toxicity
• aggregate exposure
• toxicology
• mechanistic toxicology
• exposure assessment
• dietary exposure
• vulnerable populations
• analytical methods
• high-resolution mass spectrometry
• non-target and suspect screening
• biosensors
• chemometrics
• machine learning
• predictive modelling
• pesticide residues
• veterinary drug residues
• heavy metals
• mycotoxins
• processing contaminants
• acrylamide
• polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
• food additives
• food contact materials
• emerging contaminants
• risk management
• risk–benefit analysis
• risk communication
• regulatory science
• food law and regulation
• quality management systems
• food industry management
• supply chain management
• business intelligence