Table 3. Ethical, safety, and sustainability considerations in applying generative AI to meat processing

Category Key issues Recommended strategies References
Ethical responsibility Ambiguity in accountability for AI-generated decisions and outputs Establish clear regulatory frameworks for AI accountability and liability Dimitrakopoulou and Garre (2025) Manning et al. (2022)
Data privacy and security Exposure of sensitive operational and quality data; hallucination risks Implement encryption, access control, and compliance with data protection laws (e.g., GDPR) Christakis (2024) Demirer et al. (2024)
Food safety compliance Integration with HACCP systems and avoidance of false negatives Embed AI within certified food safety protocols with redundancy mechanisms Gaye et al. (2025) Revelou et al. (2025)
System transparency Difficulty in interpreting black-box AI models and tracing decisions Use explainable AI (XAI) methods and maintain audit trails Arrighi et al. (2025)
Environmental impact Energy and resource waste in over-processing or trial-and-error cycles Utilize AI-based simulation and optimization to reduce waste and emissions Amani and Sarkodie (2022) Rakholia et al. (2025)
Workforce implications Resistance to AI adoption; skill gaps among operators Provide structured retraining programs and inclusive AI deployment planning Freire et al. (2024) Song et al. (2025)