Antimicrobial resistance in the farm-to-plate continuum: more than a food safety issue

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens to reverse the essential benefits of antibiotics, not only in humans, where decades of advancements in healthcare outcomes are endangered, but also in the food production industry. As the world moves toward Sustainable Development Goals, food safety is a critical element to improve and strengthen global health, and ensure sustainable development. Emergence of AMR in the food production industry represents a serious risk for exposed workers, their relatives and consumers. This perspective presents the challenge of AMR through the lens of food safety, by highlighting its multisectoral and multidimensional implications not only on the Sustainable Development Goals for food safety and public health but also on food security, animal health and welfare, the environment and climate, and socioeconomic development. Lay abstract: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when microorganisms are unaffected by antimicrobials that previously killed/inhibited them and cured the infection. This paper focuses on AMR from a food safety perspective. AMR in the food chain is a risk to exposed workers and consumers both locally and globally. AMR in the food chain affects the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals related to poverty, hunger and promoting health and well-being. The consequences of AMR in the food chain thus extend beyond reduced productivity and food safety to reach food insecurity, becoming a drain on national and global economies as well as worsening climate change.

Automated summary

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a threat to global health, with implications for food safety and achieving Sustainable Development Goals. The emergence of AMR in the food production industry not only impacts food safety but also has broader economic and environmental consequences globally.