# Towards Evidence-Based Food Safety Governance with Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE) Technology in China

## TL;DR

This study explores how officials' backgrounds affect pesticide levels in Chinese cities using wastewater data to improve food safety governance.

## Contribution

It introduces wastewater-based epidemiology to link officials' interdisciplinary backgrounds with pesticide residue levels in food safety governance.

## Key findings

- Interdisciplinary officials are associated with lower pesticide residues in wastewater.
- Younger officials may improve food safety governance through better adoption of WBE technology.

## Abstract

Pesticide residues in food pose significant risks to public health and have long been a major concern in Chinese cities. The management of these risks is influenced by various factors, including the characteristics of responsible officials. This study tests the relationship between the levels of pesticide residues and the responsible officials’ interdisciplinary backgrounds and their tenure cycles, which is crucial for improving food safety governance in Chinese cities. Based on wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) and data from 32 Chinese cities, it was found that the interdisciplinary backgrounds of officials had a significant negative relationship with urban pesticide residues in wastewater, indicating that the interdisciplinary knowledge background or working experience of officials in food safety-related agencies was associated with the supervision and control of urban pesticide residues. This study also generated evidence-based knowledge on how to improve food safety through assigning younger and interdisciplinary officials to the responsible governmental agencies, where WBE is more likely to be adopted.