Emerging and Persistent Food Contaminants: A Decade Review of Their Health Risks and Mitigation Strategies

Emerging and persistent food contaminants continue to pose major threats to global food safety and public health. Over the past decade, rapid industrialization, climate change, and modern agricultural practices have contributed to the prevalence of both legacy contaminants, such as heavy metals, pesticides, and mycotoxins, and emerging pollutants, including microplastics, pharmaceutical residues, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals. This narrative review synthesizes evidence from peer-reviewed studies published between September 2014 and September 2024, retrieved from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. The review followed SANRA quality appraisal criteria, scoring 11 out of 12, indicating high methodological quality and consistency. Health risks and underlying molecular mechanisms, including oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, endocrine disruption, and DNA damage, are discussed. Documented health effects range from acute poisoning to cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, reproductive toxicity, and metabolic diseases. The review also explores advances in detection technologies, such as biosensors and omics tools, and highlights emerging mitigation strategies, including phytoremediation, bioadsorbents, and green processing methods. The findings emphasize the need for strengthened regulatory frameworks, global cooperation, and future research to address food safety challenges linked to both emerging and persistent contaminants.