Heavy Metals in Food and Food Systems
Assessment, Risks, Regulations, and Sustainable Mitigation Strategies
- 1st Edition - January 1, 2027
- Latest edition
- Authors: Matthew Chidozie Ogwu, Sylvester Chibueze Izah
- Language: English
Heavy Metals in Food and Food Systems: Assessment, Risks, Regulations, and Sustainable Mitigation Strategies offers a timely, authoritative examination of how toxic metals enter… Read more
Description
Description
Heavy Metals in Food and Food Systems: Assessment, Risks, Regulations, and Sustainable Mitigation Strategies offers a timely, authoritative examination of how toxic metals enter the food chain, the risks they pose, and strategies to reduce exposure. With increasing environmental contamination, understanding pathways from soil, water, and air to food products is essential. This book provides tools for assessing contamination, navigating regulatory standards, and implementing mitigation measures to protect public health and ensure food safety globally. The content is organized into four parts: sources and pathways of heavy metal contamination; transfer during agricultural practices and food processing; detection methods and risk assessment; and governance, mitigation, and future challenges. It covers contamination sources, analytical techniques, exposure risks, and international regulations. Real-world case studies and innovations highlight practical solutions for reducing heavy metal risks across the food system. This book is an essential resource for researchers, faculty, and industry professionals in food science, toxicology, environmental health, and policy. It supports graduate education and helps policymakers develop effective strategies to safeguard food supplies and promote sustainable practices worldwide.
Key features
Key features
- Provides detailed insights into sources and pathways of heavy metal contamination in food systems
- Equips readers with advanced detection techniques and risk assessment methods
- Clarifies international standards and regulatory frameworks for managing heavy metal risks
- Showcases real-world case studies and innovative mitigation strategies
- Supports policymakers, researchers, and industry professionals in developing safer, sustainable food environments
Readership
Readership
Academic researchers and faculty in food science, environmental toxicology, environmental health, agricultural and soil sciences, nutrition, public health, and sustainability studies. Specific job titles include Assistant, Associate, and Full Professors; Postdoctoral Researchers; Research Scientists; Food Safety Scientists; Environmental Toxicologists; Risk Assessors; and Environmental Health Specialists; Regulatory and policy professionals working in food safety and environmental protection agencies, including Risk Assessment Officers, Food Safety Inspectors, Environmental Regulators, Public Health Analysts, and Policy Advisors. At the educational level, the book is suitable as a graduate reference text for MSc and PhD programs in food science, toxicology, environmental science, public health, and related interdisciplinary fields
Table of contents
Table of contents
PART I: Foundations and System Pathways
1. Heavy Metals Across Food Systems: From Environmental Sources to Human Exposure
2. Sources and Transport Pathways of Heavy Metals in Food Systems: Soil–Water–Air Deposition, Climate Drivers, and Global Trade
PART II: Agricultural Production and Food Chain Transfer
3. Agricultural Practices and Plant Uptake of Heavy Metals
4. Heavy Metals in Animal-Based and Aquatic Foods
5. Food Processing, Packaging, and Heavy Metal Cross-Contamination Pathways
PART III: Detection, Exposure, and Risk Assessment
6. Detection and Quantification of Heavy Metals in Food Systems: Method Selection, Sample Preparation, QA/QC, and Validation
7. Dietary Exposure and Human Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals
PART IV: Governance, Mitigation, and Future Directions
8. Global Standards and Regulatory Frameworks for Mitigating Heavy Metals in Food and Food Systems
9. Social Dimensions of Heavy Metal Risk in Food and Food System: Risk Communication, Trust Building, and Public Understanding
10. Mitigation Strategies for Heavy Metals Across the Food Chain
11. Global Case Studies on Heavy Metals in Food Systems: Patterns, Risks, and Responses
12. Emerging Challenges and Innovations in Managing Heavy Metals in Food Systems
1. Heavy Metals Across Food Systems: From Environmental Sources to Human Exposure
2. Sources and Transport Pathways of Heavy Metals in Food Systems: Soil–Water–Air Deposition, Climate Drivers, and Global Trade
PART II: Agricultural Production and Food Chain Transfer
3. Agricultural Practices and Plant Uptake of Heavy Metals
4. Heavy Metals in Animal-Based and Aquatic Foods
5. Food Processing, Packaging, and Heavy Metal Cross-Contamination Pathways
PART III: Detection, Exposure, and Risk Assessment
6. Detection and Quantification of Heavy Metals in Food Systems: Method Selection, Sample Preparation, QA/QC, and Validation
7. Dietary Exposure and Human Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals
PART IV: Governance, Mitigation, and Future Directions
8. Global Standards and Regulatory Frameworks for Mitigating Heavy Metals in Food and Food Systems
9. Social Dimensions of Heavy Metal Risk in Food and Food System: Risk Communication, Trust Building, and Public Understanding
10. Mitigation Strategies for Heavy Metals Across the Food Chain
11. Global Case Studies on Heavy Metals in Food Systems: Patterns, Risks, and Responses
12. Emerging Challenges and Innovations in Managing Heavy Metals in Food Systems
Product details
Product details
- Edition: 1
- Latest edition
- Published: January 1, 2027
- Language: English
About the authors
About the authors
MC
Matthew Chidozie Ogwu
Dr. Matthew Chidozie Ogwu is an environmental scientist and Assistant Professor of Sustainable Development at Appalachian State University, USA. He holds a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Seoul National University, with research training spanning microbial ecology, environmental toxicology, biodiversity conservation, and food–environment interactions. His scholarship focuses on contaminant pathways in food systems, soil and water quality, exposure assessment, and human health risks, with particular emphasis on trace metals, agro-food contamination, and sustainability in the Global South. Dr. Ogwu has an extensive publication record, including numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, edited volumes, and scholarly books with leading publishers. He has led and collaborated on funded research projects across North America, Africa, Europe, and Asia, integrating scientific evidence with regulatory and policy perspectives. His interdisciplinary work advances resilient, safe, and sustainable food systems through applied research, risk assessment, and evidence-based mitigation strategies.
Affiliations and expertise
Department of Sustainable Development, Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina, USASC
Sylvester Chibueze Izah
Dr. Sylvester C. Izah is a public health and environmental microbiology scholar at Bayelsa Medical University, Yenagoa, Nigeria, where he also serves as Assistant Director of Academic Planning, Research, and Innovations. He holds dual Ph.D. degrees in Public Health and in Applied Microbiology and Environmental Health, along with an M.Sc. in Applied Microbiology and a B.Sc. in Biological Sciences from Niger Delta University, Nigeria. He is a licensed environmental health specialist in Nigeria. Dr. Izah’s research centers on environmental contaminants and their implications for food safety, human health, and sustainable food systems. His expertise includes heavy metal contamination of soil, water, and food matrices; exposure pathways and toxicological risk assessment; environmental microbiology; sanitation and waste management; and One Health–based sustainability frameworks. He has authored over 400 peer-reviewed publications and edited or contributed to books with leading publishers bringing a strong global perspective to this volume.
Affiliations and expertise
Department of Community Medicine, Bayelsa Medical University, Yenagoa, Nigeria