Chemical and Microbiological Hazards Arising from New Plant-Based Foods, Including Precision Fermentation–Produced Food Ingredients

The growing human population, climate change, and environmental pollution pose urgent threats to global food security. New plant-based foods and precision fermentation that enable the production of new food ingredients can contribute to a revolutionary change in the food industry and can contribute to food security, yet they do not come without hazards. In this review, we describe the hazards of new plant-based foods, including precision fermentation–produced food ingredients. For these foods derived from plant-based raw materials, chemical and microbiological hazards are presented, including natural hazards, environmental hazards, and hazards derived from (inadequate) food processing. In addition, prospects for safety improvement of new plant-based foods and precision fermentation–produced food ingredients are also discussed. Chemical and microbiological hazards of new plant-based foods and precision fermentation–produced food ingredients are to be included in the hazard analysis and critical control point plans. New plant-based foods present hazards carried over from the plant-based raw materials and new hazards from the production process and storage, whereas the risks appear lower for precision fermentation–produced food ingredients than for regular fermented foods because of the use of a more controlled environment and purification of the targeted ingredients.