Chemical Contaminants in Ready-to-Eat Food Products: Control and Contamination Mitigation (A Scoping Review)

Introduction: Ensuring the safety of ready-to-eat food products requires contamination control at all stages of their life cycle—from the procurement of food raw materials to storage and distribution. In light of the introduction of new technologies and materials in the chemical, pharmaceutical, food, and agricultural sectors, as well as updated data on the toxicity of certain compounds, there is a growing need to regularly update information on potential food contaminants, methods for their detection, and strategies for reducing contamination levels. Purpose: To provide an updated overview of chemical contamination in food products, covering key stages of its formation (raw materials, production, packaging, storage), modern methods of contaminant detection, and approaches to reducing their presence. Materials and Methods: The literature search was conducted in the Scopus, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and RSCI databases, covering sources published between 2011 and 2024. The following descriptors were used: chemical contamination , chemical risk/hazards , food raw materials , ready-to-eat products/dishes , processed food . Source selection followed the PRISMA-ScR protocol, using Mendeley as a reference manager. Microsoft Excel was used for bibliographic mapping and data visualization. Additional information was drawn from the Russian national veterinary information system Vetis (component “Vesta”) and official reports from relevant regulatory agencies in Russia and abroad (including Rospotrebnadzor and ANSES). Results: Against the backdrop of rapid technological advancement, the range of chemical contaminants has expanded significantly, particularly due to the inclusion of micro- and nanoplastics as well as transformation products of pharmaceutical substances and pesticides. Analysis of antibiotic residues in livestock raw materials and processed products (2020–2024) indicates frequent detection of fluoroquinolones, tetracyclines, penicillins, amphenicols, and sulfonamides. A promising direction involves the use of natural bioactive compounds that not only help reduce contamination (especially from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and nitrosamines) but also serve as alternatives to synthetic food additives. The need for highly sensitive and reliable analytical methods capable of detecting both long-established and emerging contaminants has been clearly identified. Conclusion: The results of this scoping review may be applied in the planning and implementation of governmental and industrial food safety monitoring programs, as well as in the development of improved chemical safety control measures for food production facilities.