Comprehensive analysis of global challenges and key factors in national food control systems

Purpose This review aims to identify key challenges within national food control systems in response to significant transformations in the food supply chain, the alarming global landscape and emerging threats to food safety. With limited empirical validation of national performance, the study highlights the urgent need for strengthened control mechanisms, especially given the estimated loss of 33 million healthy life years annually due to unsafe food. By employing a systematic literature review, this study seeks to uncover underlying obstacles hindering effective food safety control at a national scale, ultimately providing insights to assist policymakers in developing targeted interventions, refining regulations and enhancing global food security and health. Design/methodology/approach This study employs a systematic literature review (SLR) to identify challenges in food safety control across various countries, utilizing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review (PRISMA) methodology for an unbiased literature search. Searches were conducted on Google Scholar and ScienceDirect between April 4th 2024 and 26th March 2025, using keywords related to food policy, food control system, governance and challenges. The review limited its scope to peer-reviewed articles published in English between 2014 and April 2024, resulting in 45 selected articles. These articles were analysed to uncover main challenges affecting national food control and to assess the state of food control across countries, their key factors, gaps and potential interventions. Findings The findings indicate that administrative flaws (53%) were the most prevalent challenge, followed by inadequate response capacity (43%), poor communication and information dissemination (43%), resource constraints (37%) and insufficient competency (20%). The analysis highlights that developed regions struggle with inspector shortages and outdated risk management systems amid increasing globalization and rising food imports. Meanwhile, developing regions face weak enforcement mechanisms, inadequate infrastructure and financial constraints. The growing digital divide further undermines transparency and traceability. While public food safety systems often suffer from bureaucracy, private systems risk inconsistency. Research limitations/implications The study acknowledges that relying exclusively on the two databases for the SLR methodology may result in the omission of relevant studies indexed in specialized or regional databases. In minimizing this drawback, cross-referencing the references of selected articles was conducted to identify any significant studies that might have been overlooked. Originality/value The originality of this review study lies in its timely examination of food safety challenges within the context of rapidly evolving global food systems across 30 selected countries worldwide. Notably, the study seeks to identify both similarities and disparities in food control challenges worldwide, facilitating a comprehensive analysis of potential gaps in food safety governance on a global scale. This approach enhances the understanding of food safety issues and highlights areas requiring targeted interventions, making a valuable contribution to the field.

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