Toward a conceptual framework for food safety criteria: Analyzing evidence practices using the case of plant protection products

Abstract

Food safety has a significant influence on food markets and is of great societal importance because it protects human health and life. Most studies presume that the presence or absence of food safety can be objectively assessed based on data from natural sciences and might be further interpreted and perceived in different ways; however, there is no consensus on the definition of food safety. Disputes within the scientific community and increasing public discourse suggest that there is no generally accepted definition of what is “safe” or “unsafe”. This paper introduces a framework that describes food safety in a broader sense, using the example of plant protection products, by identifying different evidence practices through the classification of criteria from various research fields. Data were collected in an integrative literature review. Criteria for assessing food safety were classified and collected within a conceptual framework that acknowledged the multidisciplinarity of knowledge bases. The analysis highlights the questions that arise when determining these criteria. We conclude that obtaining a generalized definition of food safety is not possible. Instead, our results showed the determination of food safety by criteria at different levels: science-based criteria at knowledge and value levels that result in standards and consumer-based criteria at knowledge and value levels that result in behavior. A better understanding of food safety criteria helps to show deficits in the current risk analysis practice and points to solutions for more consistent regulations, leading to more stable market conditions and a stronger mutual understanding.