Scientists Reviewed Decades of Food Safety Research—and Found a Growing Silent Danger

3 min readHere’s what you’ll learn when you read this story:As the planet warms due to climate change, extreme weather and prolonged drought will impact food safety, as increased humidity promotes fungal growth, while warmer temperatures spur the proliferation of bacteria such as Salmonella. A new study analyzes past scientific literature regarding food safety and climate change and found that food safety systems are now more important than ever.This news arrives at a time when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is struggling to keep up with congressionally mandated food safety requirements due to staffing issues and increased oversight responsibilities.It’s not hard to spot the most immediate impacts of climate change—the devastation delivered by more powerful storms, longer droughts, and roaring wildfires. But these changes also have severe impacts on food security and food safety. And in a year in which the U.S. alone has experienced outbreaks of E. coli in blueberries, cyclospora in iceberg lettuce, and salmonella in jalapeños (just to name a few), adding climate-change-induced food issues to our plates is the last thing we need.Now, in a new study, scientists have conducted a comprehensive review of extant literature on the topic of climate change and food safety, and discovered that climate change impacts the quality of food on many fronts. Researchers from the Ethiopian Public Health Institute and the Dambi Dollo University (also located in Ethiopia) found that food safety systems are needed now more than ever.“Rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, and more frequent extreme weather events enhance the growth and dissemination of foodborne pathogens, thereby increasing disease burden,” the authors wrote. “Foodborne illness causes an estimated 600 million cases of illness and 420,000 deaths annually, being highly disproportionate among children under the age of five years.”Previous studies have found that rising temperatures can be a boon for Salmonella and Campylobacter, and that increased humidity provides the perfect conditions for fungal growth that can produce mycotoxins (which commonly impact grains and nuts). Meanwhile, extreme weather events can increase the amount of flooding, filling food and water systems with chemical and pesticide runoff. Other regions experience severe drought, and a lack of water lowers agricultural yields across the board.“Climate change is a multifaceted driver of food safety risks through interconnected environmental, biological, and socio-economic pathways,” the authors wrote. “Integrating climate data into foodborne disease surveillance, strengthening monitoring systems, and developing climate-resilient food safety strategies are essential to reduce emerging risks and protect public health.”While climate change’s threat to global food security and safety isn’t new, the results of this study (and many others like it) highlight the ever-increasing need for careful, comprehensive food safety oversight—something that is not always provided to appropriate levels. For instance, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported in February this year that staffing shortages and increasing responsibility in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates roughly 80 percent of the U.S. food supply, have stretched the agency thin.This summer has seen high-profile examples of food-borne illnesses impacting the U.S. and other countries around the world, and scientists continue to warn both consumers and regulators that these challenges will only grow as the world continues to warm. It will require increased global cooperation (relying on the food safety of other countries, for example) to both secure safe food and limit the continued use of fossil fuels—the unrelenting engine behind many of the world’s most daunting problems.Darren lives in Portland, has a cat, and writes/edits about sci-fi and how our world works. You can find his previous stuff at Gizmodo and Paste if you look hard enough.