Safer Food – thanks to Science and Materials

A sufficient and healthy diet is something I take for granted where I live. However, globally hunger and falling ill from unsafe food are two serious challenges which are on the rise again.

The situation in the Gaza Strip and other humanitarian disasters show us almost daily: Hunger affects more than 700 million people today. What’s less well known, but no less dramatic is the fact that another 600 million people fall ill from over 200 kinds of foodborne diseases every year, from diarrhea to cancer. Unsafe food doesn’t just make you sick – it also undermines livelihoods and impedes socioeconomic development. This is what World Food Safety Day on June 7 makes us aware of.

What are the solutions to solve it? Perhaps it is quite close to Andy Weir’s protagonist Mark Watney in the science-fiction novel “The Martian” as he is looking for solutions to grow food and survive on Mars: 'So, in the face of overwhelming odds, I'm left with only one option: “I’m gonna have to science the s**t out of this.”

Science makes everyday life possible

For me as a Sci-Fi fan a true uplifting book, and in line with his year’s theme “Food Safety: Science in Action”. It reminds us that science – in the food sector as well as everywhere else – is not just something that happens in labs or policy rooms. It’s something we live, apply, and rely on every day – especially when it comes to the food we eat. Without science, we wouldn’t have the confidence to trade food across borders, store it safely, or feed growing populations.

International organizations like FAO and WHO play a critical role here – in evaluating food additives, pesticide residues, or microbiological risks. Their work forms the backbone of international food safety standards.

However, the multitude of challenges and crises and the urgent need for action must not tempt us to disregard thoroughness and conscientiousness. We must be careful not to let urgency become an excuse for recklessness in science. Research and innovation are essential—but they must always be methodical, evidence-based, and reliable. Otherwise, we might run the risk to solve one problem by creating another.

As someone working in the chemical industry for more than two decades, I see this firsthand. To give an example: At Covestro, we use bisphenol A (BPA) to produce polycarbonate, a highly robust and transparent plastic also used for food-safe applications like durable and reusable 5-gallon water barrels and transparent kitchen containers. They help preserving food quality, preventing contamination, and ensuring access to clean water and safe food—especially in regions where infrastructure is limited.

Safety is about managing risks

And yet, ingredients like BPA often face public skepticism. This is an expression of widespread chemophobia – the fear of chemicals – which leads many people to call for bans on products. But safety is not about eliminating materials, it’s about managing their exposure and risk. It’s about understanding what the data tells us, how materials and the products made from them are used, how exposure is controlled.

This is where science becomes action.

In my own life, I’ve seen how science shapes everything – from the safe use of chemicals and plastics I’m dealing with in my job, to the food I grow in my garden. It’s in the way I store water, the containers I trust, and the choices I make at the grocery store. It’s in the global standards that guide trade, and the local practices that keep kitchens safe.

So today, I want to celebrate the scientists, engineers, educators, and everyday citizens who put science into action. Whether you’re designing packaging, inspecting food, or simply washing your hands before cooking – you are part of the food safety system.

Because food safety is everyone’s business. And science is what makes it possible – perhaps one day on Mars but for certain here on our beautiful blue planet.

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