Food News

The report aims to identify the possible impacts of anticipated changes in the climate on food security and its control at all stages of the food chain.

The FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) has published a new report on the effects of climate change in relation to food safety. The report aims to identify the possible impacts of anticipated changes in the climate on food security and its control at all stages of the food chain. The purpose is to raise awareness of the issue and facilitate international cooperation to better understand the changing food safety situation and develop and implement strategies to address them.

Climate change and lengthening of food chains increase the likelihood of contamination problems from foodborne pathogens and parasites

Raising awareness of this is important to manage public health risks. Emerging food safety risks may require a change in the "old" way of doing things, both in terms of industry food safety management programs and public sector food safety activities, including the development of guidance for the industry on "good practices". A better understanding of the changes that may arise is an essential first step in ensuring readiness for those changes.

The report covers the main risks food pathogens and parasites, harmful algal blooms, environmental and industrial pollutants and mycotoxins

The report is based on a comprehensive review of the literature, compiled to obtain information on the expected and existing impacts of climate change on food security. The main risks for food security considered in this publication are:

• Food pathogens and parasites, such as Salmonella, enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (E. coli O157: H7), Vibrio cholerae, Campylobacter spp. and Listeria monocytogenes, among others, are transmitted by water and food, and show increasing resistance to antibiotics.
• Harmful algal blooms, as climate change acts as a potential catalyst in algal blooms, resulting in a potential risk to the environment and human health.
• Environmental and industrial pollutants, such as heavy metals, pesticides, dioxins and PCBs, affect the soil, contaminating aquifers, rivers and seas, as a result of mobilization in contaminated land areas, such as industrial sites, landfills, sewage treatment plants, etc. Higher water temperatures, higher precipitation intensity, and longer periods of low flow rates exacerbate many forms of water pollution, including sediment, nutrients, dissolved organic carbon, pathogens, pesticides, and salts.
• Mycotoxins

The report concludes with a wake-up call to ensure that emerging risks are recognized as soon as possible and that countries are prepared to respond promptly to them.

Principles of good hygiene practice, good agricultural practice, good animal husbandry practices, good veterinary practice, good aquaculture practice, etc. remain the cornerstone of national food safety management strategies to address challenges posed by climate change. Guidance in applying these principles may have to be adjusted as a better understanding develops of changes in the occurrence and prevalence of chemical and microbiological hazards and of insects, pests and their vectors as affected by climate change and other factors.

AGROLAB GROUP has the ISO 17025 accreditation for the quantification of contaminants in all types of food products. You can contact our customer service to expand this information.

Author: Dra. Isabel Gómez