Enhancing Food Safety Through Human Behavior and Hygiene Management Across the Food Supply Chain

Dear Colleagues,

Food safety remains a critical global challenge, with human behavior and hygiene practices serving as pivotal determinants of contamination risks throughout the food supply chain. Despite significant technological advancements in food production and processing, human factors continue to account for a substantial proportion of food-borne disease outbreaks. This Special Issue seeks to advance our understanding of how behavioral interventions, hygiene management systems, and food safety culture can be strategically enhanced from farm to fork and rebalanced across the whole food supply chain.

We invite the submission of original research, systematic reviews, and case studies that explore innovative approaches to improving food handler practices, consumer behaviors, organizational food safety culture, nudging management, and hygiene compliance mechanisms. Particular emphasis will be placed on interdisciplinary perspectives that integrate behavioral science, microbiology, hygiene, public health, and management principles. By bridging the gap between theoretical frameworks and practical implementation, this Special Issue aims to provide actionable insights for industry practitioners, policymakers, and researchers committed to safeguarding public health through enhanced human-centered food safety strategies.

Dr. Mojca Jevšnik Podlesnik
Guest Editor

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.