Market Trends of Italy Food Safety Testing Industry
Rising Importance of Food Safety Supporting Market Demand
One of the most widely traded commodities across the globe is food, which if uncontrolled can pose a serious risk to public safety. As a result of globalization, the supply chain needs to be closely watched to make sure imports/exports adhere to rules governing food safety and are unaltered. Also, the rise in food-borne diseases due to low food quality has raised the importance to have access to a safe, clean food supply is a necessity for humans. With food safety becoming an essential part of nutrition security, the food industry has also established a set of food safety testing procedures. According to Food and Feed Safety Alert, Italy (RASFF), the number of safety alerts was highest for fish and fish products in 2021 followed by nuts, fruits and vegetables, and others. Thus, the Instituto Superiore di Sanita, reports, to protect the public's health, it is crucial that chemical risks be mitigated throughout the food supply chain across the country. Hence, research needed to be carried out by manufacturers to identify, evaluate, and manage health issues associated with food consumption due to the presence of involuntary pollutants or compounds purposely put into the various food chains for different technical goals, including assessment of dietary exposure to pollutants and voluntarily added compounds, GMO foods among others.
Thus, the growing consumer interest in food quality has propelled high technological advancements, which are, thereby, driving the food safety testing market in the country. Enhanced surveillance and detection methods have contributed to the growth of the food safety testing scenario in the country. The regulatory bodies in the country such as the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed encourage testing practices during every stage of food production and processing. Additionally, under Europe's general food law, Regulation (EC) No 178/2002, food imported to European markets should meet the same standards that the EU requires for food produced within Europe.
Increase in Non-compliant Food Products to Fuel Market Demand
The rising competition among food manufacturers is leading to more food fraud cases particularly giving rise to tampering with food products, misleading statements, and faulty packaging. Food fraud is also done for financial gains, which directly threatens the health of consumers. Non-compliant food products threatening the health of consumers lead to food recalls. A food recall occurs when a food manufacturer or producer takes a product off the market which may cause illness to consumers. Government agencies may also require a food call which may happen for many reasons such as the discovery of foreign objects such as broken glass or metal, the discovery of organisms including parasites such as Cyclospora, and bacteria such as salmonella, and the discovery of a major allergen that does not appear on the product label.
The rise in the production of non-complaint food products by companies in the United States has been a major health concern leading to food recall alerts, as of 2021, 289 food safety alerts were recalled in Italy according to Minstero della Salute. Furthermore, the outbreaks of food illnesses despite routine monitoring are leading to augmented food recalls. Consumer complaints regarding undeclared ingredients and allergens in food products leading to adulteration and serious health hazards are encouraging the need for food safety testing for the products before and after they are packed.
