Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN)– Climate change poses significant challenges to global food safety, according to the European Food Safety Authority, with long-term changes in temperature and humidity, precipitation patterns and frequency of extreme weather events already affecting agricultural practices. crop production, and nutritional quality of food crops.
The sensitivity of microbes, toxin-producing microorganisms and other pests to climate factors indicated that climate change has the potential to influence the incidence and severity of some foodborne diseases. Changing conditions may also favor the emergence of many invasive alien species that are harmful to the health of plants and animals. Surface warming of sea water and increased nutrient inputs lead to the spread of toxin-producing algae, leading to widespread seafood contamination.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, rising temperatures can reduce food safety by:
- Increase in food and waterborne diseases
- Moving plant pests to new areas, which may lead to an overuse of pesticides
- Encouraging the uptake of toxic heavy metals in staple crops
- Scaling up and harming the safety of seafood
- Spreading fungal infections in plants.
